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Japanese breakthrough will make wind power cheaper than nuclear
A surprising aerodynamic innovation in wind turbine design called the 'wind lens' could triple the output of a typical wind turbine, making it less costly than nuclear power.
Mon, Aug 29 2011 at 2:47 AM
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Snapshot from video
NOTE: Some major wind projects like the proposed TWE Carbon Valley project in Wyoming are already pricing in significantly lower than coal power -- $80 per MWh for wind versus $90 per MWh for coal -- and that is without government subsidies using today's wind turbine technology.
The International Clean Energy Analysis (ICEA) gateway estimates that the U.S. possesses 2.2 million km2 of high wind potential (Class 3-7 winds) — about 850,000 square miles of land that could yield high levels of wind energy. This makes the U.S. something of a Saudi Arabia for wind energy, ranked third in the world for total wind energy potential.
Let's say we developed just 20 percent of those wind resources — 170,000 square miles (440,000 km2) or an area roughly 1/4 the size of Alaska — we could produce a whopping 8.7 billion megawatt hours of electricity each year (based on a theoretical conversion of six 1.5 MW turbines per km2 and an average output of 25 percent. (1.5 MW x 365 days x 24 hrs x 25% = 3,285 MWh's).
The United States uses about 26.6 billion MWh's, so at the above rate we could satisfy a full one-third of our total annual energy needs. (Of course, this assumes the concurrent deployment of a nationwide Smart Grid that could store and disburse the variable sources of wind power as needed using a variety of technologies — gas or coal peaking, utility scale storage via batteries or fly-wheels, etc).
Now what if a breakthrough came along that potentially tripled the energy output of those turbines? You see where I'm going. We could in theory supply the TOTAL annual energy needs of the U.S. simply by exploiting 20 percent of our available wind resources.
Well, such a breakthrough has been made, and it's called the "wind lens."
Imagine: no more dirty coal power, no more mining deaths, no more nuclear disasters, no more polluted aquifers as a result of fracking. Our entire society powered by the quiet "woosh" of a wind turbine. Kyushu University's wind lens turbine is one example of the many innovations happening right now that could in the near future make this utopian vision a reality.
Yes, it's a heck of a lot of wind turbines (about 2,640,000) but the U.S. with its endless miles of prairie and agricultural land is one of the few nations that could actually deploy such a network of wind turbines without disrupting the current productivity of the land (Russia and China also come to mind). It would also be a win-win for states in the highest wind area — the Midwest — which has been hard hit by the recession. And think of the millions upon millions of jobs that would be created building a 21st century energy distribution system free of the shackles of ever-diminishing fossil fuel supplies.
It's also important to point out that growth in wind power capacity is perfectly symbiotic with projected growth in electric vehicles. EV battery packs can soak up wind power produced during the night, helping to equalize the curve of daytime energy demand. So the controversial investment currently being entertained by President Obama to pipe oil down from the Canadian Tar Sands would — in my utopian vision — be a moot point.
It is indeed a lofty vision, but the technology we need is now in our reach. And think of the benefits of having our power production fed by a resource that is both free and unlimited. One downside often cited by advocates of coal and gas power is that wind turbines require a lot more maintenence than a typical coal or gas power plant. But in a lagging economy this might just be wind power's biggest upside — it will create lots and lots of permanent jobs, sparking a new cycle of economic growth in America.
Editor's note: Want more info? Karl breaks down the math in his next post.
The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.
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built one of these for kicks and grins two years ago albeit via a bike wheel, got the idea off of instructables.com nada new here, just the scale.
How is this going to compete with nuclear. Nuclear is produced at slightly more that $40/MW.
Everyone knows that earth needs such green power resources to keep the environment sustainable, but they expect this resource to be used only by the government as the installation cost is not reasonable for personal use. That cost has come to the reach of the people and the maintenance cost of such device is very low. The long term benefits should also be considered. Therefore, anyone can use a wind power unit, Windpowertunes.com
Yes, but will this technology ever reach the consumer?
do it yourself
Pipeline from Canada is a bad idea. It would be devastating to the entire region along its length. The greed of the oil buggers knows no limits; screw the sensitive ecosystems, we need to keep our profits soaring.
This is definitely a possibility. Wind is an inexhaustible source of energy. Nature has provided us with the resource, the technology is available, the intent is there. All that remains is to find the capitalists who would invest in clean energy. Government HAS TO take the initiative in offering subsidies, tax cuts, and incentives to these people or organizations. But first it has to cut itself loose from the shackles of the oil mafia.
This is NOT more efficient when it comes to the cost of energy, forget this hoax
I am a little skeptical of your response. Where in this country do we produce electricity by static water? I have worked in Hydro Plants. The water is always moving to turn the turbines. I agree that hydropower IS the way to go for electricity but disagree withy your claim that the water does not move to turn the turbines.
The very most energy you can extract from moving water from a height is the weight of the water times the vertical drop.
Force times distance equals work.
Engineers, physicists and scientists know this.
Multiple turbines would not change universal truth.
flowing water can run turbines in series and harness unlimited hydropower. earth is blessed with unlimited hydropower
Look at a magnet on your fridge. Any work being done there? Any energy directed at it?
Wind has much potential, so does solar. I have yet to see funneling
wind, much like a sail, to a vertical turbine, to get wind power. Large windmills ($150,000) get small wind to a large turbine. Much lilke CSP concentrating solar, with a very cheap sail get wind to
high velocity to a small vertical turbine.
Still no money or interest I have found.
nice
The person writing this article must not have heard of a man called Tesla who has already devised a way to produce free electricity that would not require 2,640,000 wind turbines. There is free energy in the atmosphere around us already and a way to use this energy was invented back in the late 1800's. The greedy JP Morgan killed this plan because there is no profits in free. Read and learn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_Tesla
That's a myth. There's no such thing as free energy.
Ionosphere? Maybe not free bur there to be tapped unplugged.
Big Oil is pumping money and destroying the world at everyone else's expense. Please tell me why we're working.
:o Looks cool. These could be helpful.
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