Since diving into the deep end when it comes to energy issues, almost every day sees new fascinating concepts, approaches, and technologies. Exciting. Hope inspring. Truly Energy COOL. And, well, there are others on the hunt for those Energy COOL opportunities for fostering a better future.
As part of Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Conference, one of the winners was the Wind Belt.
Working in Haiti, Shawn Frayne, a 28-year-old inventor based in Mountain View, Calif., saw the need for small-scale wind power to juice LED lamps and radios in the homes of the poor. Conventional wind turbines don’t scale down well—there’s too much friction in the gearbox and other components. "With rotary power, there’s nothing out there that generates under 50 watts," Frayne says.
Having been to Haiti (and other pleasurable tourist destinations), the idea of figuring out affordable renewable power for the developing world is greatly appealing. To alleviate poverty and, well, to help leapfrogthe Developing World onto a better development path.
So he took a new tack, studying the way vibrations caused by the wind led to the collapse in 1940 of Washington’s Tacoma Narrows Bridge (aka Galloping Gertie).
Frayne’s device, which he calls a Windbelt, is a taut membrane fitted with a pair of magnets that oscillate between metal coils. Prototypes have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making his device 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best microturbines.
These are some impressive claimes. That much more efficient? But, at what cost?
Frayne envisions the Windbelt costing a few dollars and replacing kerosene lamps in Haitian homes. "Kerosene is smoky and it’s a fire hazard," says Peter Haas, founder of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group, which helps people in developing countries to get environmentally sound access to clean water, sanitation and energy. "If Shawn’s innovation breaks, locals can fix it. If a solar panel breaks, the family is out a panel."
Not only inexpensive and replacing some of the dirtiest power uses, but something that locals can repair with little problem. Looks like Popular Mechanics might have chosen a real winner, a true Enegy COOL possibility.
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Other Popular Mechanics Breaktrough winners include:
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Amory Lovins: The Prophet of Efficiency; "There was a time when resources were plentiful, and people scarce. Now the opposite is true—and PM's Breakthrough Leadership Award winner sees that as an opportunity for creative engineering."
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Ashok Gadgil, Christina Galitsky: The High-Efficiency Cookstove developed to reduce wood burning requirements for refugees in Darfur. (Note: I, personally, prefer
solar stoves.
Ask yourself:
Are you doing
your part to
ENERGIZE AMERICA?
Are you ready
to do your part?
Your voice can
... and will make a difference.
So ... SPEAK UP ... NOW!!!
NOTES
* Hat tip to
Jetson Green.
* Related material at
Energy Smart.
* Consider joining the new, improved
Daily Kos Environmentalists community / listserve such as
A breezy way to power-up your iPod.
* Highly recommended, the
Wind Belt video.
*