Wind energy Re-invented
Shawn claims his prototypes - The Windbelt Technology- have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making it 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best microturbines. In a conventional wind generator, gears help transfer the motion of the spinning blades to a turbine where an electric current is induced. Windbelt is simpler and more efficient in light breezes—a magnet mounted on a vibrating membrane simply oscillates between wire coils. It harnesses the kind of small but powerful vibrations that engineers normally try to eliminate from bridges and buildings.
Check out this video, in which Shawn explains how “Harder problems make for better inventions… those problems can force you to think in a new way.”! He envisions the Windbelt costing a few dollars and replacing kerosene lamps which are unhealthy and a fire hazard. Plus if it breaks, local people can fix it themselves. Genius…
Wind power in an interesting sector. Cost of producing wind power is decreasing all the time and currently is the most economical of all the renewable energy sources. Like you say though it is still more expensive then conventional energy generation and the biggest issue is that its really unreliable still - lots of faults in turbines have been found after a year or so of operations on some of the UK on shore wind power stations.
Personally I think the way forward on renewable energy is to take the approach India have taken which is to use it on a micro level for now - i.e. use solar power and wind power to provide electrivity for a whole village. Firstly this would empower villages and provide a multipleir effect with job creation and electricity production increasing production and efficiency. Its a green way of creating electricity in regions where typicall a lot of fossil fuels are used as is a self sufficient method of generation. For governments its also valuable as they remain in the “renewable energy game” and continue learning and developing newer technology so that when the cost gap between renewable energy generation and conventional energy generation is zero they are in a position to implement renewable energy on a bigger scale quickly…….