In what’s certainly a first-of-its-kind technology, researchers at Delft University (Netherlands) have gotten together with architectural firm Mecanoo to create the world’s first bladeless wind electricity generator.
The EWICON windmill.
The windmill is referred to as the Electrostatic WInd-energy CONvertor, or EWICON for short, and it features no moving mechanical parts. As such, no noise is created, it doesn’t break down, no shadows are created, and it doesn’t cause bird deaths — all of which are side effects associated with traditional wind turbines.
How EWICON works
While traditional wind turbines use moving air to convert kinetic energy into mechanical energy in order to create electricity, EWICON uses the power of wind moving over its inner grid in order to generate power.
Specifically, the system sprays positively charged water particles into the air which are then carried away from the device’s inner grid, leaving behind negatively charged particles. This causes a decrease in the voltage of the system and allows for electricity to be easily captured.
The following video was put together by the team and demonstrates in full detail how the EWICON system works as well as how it can be deployed:
Outlook
The EWICON provides some welcome contrast to the modern-day wind turbine, which need to be large and set up as farms in order to be efficient. Nearby residents see them as eyesores and often complain about the noise they create. They also require a lot of maintenance and are often subject to damage by either high winds or lightning.
As the video suggests, the EWICON can be built smaller. It’s also much quieter and because it has no moving parts, the system is not subject to damage by high winds (though it is likely to still suffer damage from a lightning strike).
Given that this is only an initial report on the EWICON, full details on the technology are a bit hard to come by. Numbers on just how efficient the technology can be have not yet been released, nor has there been any official statement on whether this new windmill will need to be deployed in farms to make them cost effective.
The one built now is only a prototype. It sits on the front lawn of the EWI faculty building in the Mekelpark, and the electricity it generates is used to power a big neon sign.
Regardless, it’s a technology worth paying attention to.
Story: ewi.tudelft.nl
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