The WindWing prototype consists of four wind pairs in a rectangle 16 ft. wide that reaches up 17 ft. Mechanical advantage generates up to 3,600 reciprocating pounds in a 12 mph wind. Kelley envisions the unit pumping water or compressing gas. Watch a video of it at: tinyurl.com/9muj92q
When inventor Gene R. Kelley first looked at conventional wind turbines churning away in the California wind he thought them just magnificent. But after scribbling a few numbers, he realized how inefficient the design was. “Conventional turbines only capture about 5% of the energy that passes through a rotor sweep. There had to be a better way,” says Kelley.
Being a pilot, he started tinkering with wings and airfoils because they do the heavy lifting on aircraft, and eventually came up with a series of wings that would oscillate up and down. With the capability to drive a reciprocating device, the design is able to generate nearly 4,500 lb from 450 pounds of lift across a wing set with an incorporated mechanical advantage.
The simple design, now called WindWing Technology, uses few moving parts and takes significantly less capital to manufacture and install – about 33% of a conventional turbine of similar size, he estimates.”Maintenance costs will be commensurately lower, noise will not be a factor, bird destruction and other negative environmental issues also will be benign,” he says. Better yet, Kelley claims an efficiency of 40 to 50% or more from available wind energy capture.
His team has since formed W2 Energy Development Corp., (w2energycorp.com) to provide this alternative for renewable energy generation, one that can adapt to multiple applications, especially those more effectively powered without use of electricity such as pumping water or compressing gasses into liquids. What’s more, a higher energy-harvesting potential exists in the more widely available lower velocity wind areas not usable by turbines. Kelley says WindWing technology is scaleable and will provide output capacities to accommodate a greater range of applications closer to users who can incorporate the technology into their operations. A key element of the production plan is using local manufacturing, support equipment, services, and a local work force.
Filed Under: News, Turbines
And Ross, funny how “outside the inefficient, conventional square” still winds up being a rectangle…
BEAUTIFUL…There’s nothing like elegant engineering application of such basic physics. Newton, Euler, and Bernoulli bless us every one!
I CAN envision serious constraints due to wind forces too high, but as this seems to get MUCH more energy close to the ground, that’s also much easier to engineer around. I also love that Kelley immediately goes to mechanical energy applications, we fight losses with every conversion stage. This also is perfect for developing countries, as it doesn’t gain a lot of output or efficiency with the highest-tech approach, unlike conventional wind. This is like a wave-energy plant moved on-ground. Like so many other simple, brilliant ideas, why hasn’t this been done for 100 years?
Inexpensive, easily made and serviced, LOGICAL application of the science…Kelley needs to go on the list of Greatest Engineers…
Already done years ago. I used compressed air storage to run generators and the storage could be powered by my new windmill designs. I see innovation in his design but I have two completely different designs as well as solar driven ones that were built and posted on YouTube for all to see. His figure on traditional windmills is correct- abysmally bad. Look at some truly well-design windmill basics on my youTube account- thorargent.
Good on you for thinking outside the inefficient, conventional square. Output using an air compressor into a large compressed air storage tank allows a consistent output to an air drive generator. The tank is the ‘battery’ for energy storage. Are you on LinkedIn? I would like to keep in touch. regards Ross