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Growing seaweed between offshore wind turbines
CategoriesSustainable News

Growing seaweed between offshore wind turbines

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: The global commercial seaweed market was valued at almost $17.9 billion (around €16.9 billion) in 2021 and projected to keep growing. This growth is driven by increased use of seaweed in food and cosmetics, and its use as a fertiliser. However, seaweed is disappearing from many places where it used to thrive because of global warming.

At the same time seaweed farming is becoming more difficult, the number of offshore wind farms is growing. Now, non-profit North Sea Farmers hopes to put the two together by locating seaweed farms between offshore wind turbines. North Sea Farmers plans to install its first seaweed farm, located off the coast of the Netherlands, this year and begin harvesting in Spring 2024. The 10-hectare farm is expected to produce at least 6,000 kilogrammes of fresh seaweed in its first year.

The demonstration project will be the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbines. The aim is to kickstart more innovation in seaweed agriculture.

Eef Brouwers, Manager of Farming and Technology at North Sea Farmers, said: “Potentially, up to 85,000 full-time jobs could be created in the European seaweed sector by replicating North Sea Farm 1 across the North Sea.”

The project has received €1.5 million in funding from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, which will be spent on constructing the farm.

Seaweed is not only used in food and cosmetics. Springwise has also spotted a seaweed extract that could reduce the methane emitted by cattle, a seaweed-based packaging, and the use of seaweed-derived materials to prevent dendrite growth in batteries.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

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Drones that inspect and repair wind turbines
CategoriesSustainable News

Drones that inspect and repair wind turbines

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: It is estimated that global capacity for wind power will be over 955 gigawatts by the end of 2022, with China leading the way with 359,770 turbines as of June this year. However, the large number of wind turbines across the globe also means there is a rapidly growing need for innovative wind turbine maintenance systems – especially for offshore turbines. Company Aerones has designed a system that uses drones to conduct such maintenance work.

Aerones offers inspection, cleaning, and repair services using a variety of different drones and tools. For example, its robotic cleaning system uses a powerful brush to clean dust and oil, reusing water during cleaning to reduce waste. Other drones in the company’s repertoire can repair blades using a modular tool base that can sand, fill eroded surfaces, apply protective coatings, and more.

In addition to the utility of its system, Aerones offers reassurance that the system does not take jobs away from technicians. Instead, the company says that the drones are each controlled by certified technicians “from the comfort of a warm vehicle”. In addition, it claims that the robotic tools are more precise and efficient than technicians acting alone, resulting in four to six times less downtime.

The company adds that its “unique proprietary system brings high-quality robotic services enabling our wind turbine technicians to perform inspections, cleaning, maintenance and repairs (…) Robots will allow the wind industry to turn towards fast and efficient preventive maintenance.”

Wind power is big business and is increasingly being seen as a vital tool in reaching net zero. Springwise has also spotted a floating vertical axis wind turbine and recyclable onshore turbines.

Written By Lisa Magloff

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Bladeless wind turbines produce 24-hour energy in any weather
CategoriesSustainable News

Bladeless wind turbines produce 24-hour energy in any weather

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Just like sunshine, wind is a fairly constant aspect of the weather, yet as an energy source, it still suffers from variability. Now, a small, sleek wind turbine that generates power from winds as low as five miles per hour could tackle this issue and be one of the swiftest ways for buildings to become carbon neutral. Created by Aeromine Technologies, the bladeless turbines take up a fraction of the footprint of traditional wind farms and produce the same amount of power as that of 16 solar panels. 

Designed specifically for use on top of large buildings with flat roofs, the turbines are easy to install and maintain, particularly because they do not have rotor blades. The turbines connect directly to a building’s electrical system and work much like a racecar does, using aerodymanic designs to amplify the flow of air away from the structure. Despite working constantly, the turbines are completely silent.

Aeromine generally installs 20 to 40 of the turbines on the side of a building’s roof that receives the most consistent wind. That is usually enough to provide all of the power required by a large commercial or residential building. When combined with solar, a building could run completely on renewable energy.

Making better use of ignored spaces is a particularly effective means of reducing reliance on petrol power. Springwise has spotted small turbines harnessing hydroelectric power from slow flowing streams and rivers, as well as nanotechnology being used to generate energy from locations where rivers meet the sea.  

Written By: Keely Khoury

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Recyclable turbines for onshore wind energy
CategoriesSustainable News

Recyclable turbines for onshore wind energy

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), wind energy generation hit a record 273 terawatt-hours in 2021. And the IEA further forecasts that, in order to meet the agency’s net zero by 2050 scenario, the world will need to install 7,900 terrawatt-hours of wind electricity generation by 2030.

As wind power grows in importance, the need to consider the whole lifecycle of a wind turbine is more important than ever. While wind power is a clean and renewable form of energy, the turbines themselves are not without an environmental cost. And one of the most intractable issues to date has been the fact that turbines are made using composite materials that are difficult to recycle. Against this backdrop, the Siemens Gamesa RecyclableBlade, launched in September 2021 and first installed at a project in Germany in July, is a step in the right direction.

The blade is made of a composite material that can be recycled and reused, reducing the need for new materials. In addition, the blade is designed to be dismantled and transported back to the factory for recycling, making it easier to recycle than traditional blades. With its innovative recyclable solutions, Siemens Gamesa is helping to propel the activities that make wind energy even more sustainable, creating a fully circular sector.

Turbine blades are made from composite materials, including resin, glass and carbon fibers. The recycling process for these materials is complex and costly. However, Siemens’ new RecyclableBlade process uses a mild acidic solution to separate the materials at the end of the turbine’s lifetime. Those materials can then be recycled for use in other industrial applications. This could help to reduce the environmental impact of wind energy production and make the turbines more economically viable in the long run.

The innovation is part of Siemens’ larger sustainability vision, which includes a core target to produce fully recyclable wind turbines by 2040. After the run at RWE’s Kaskasi project in Germany last July 2022, the new RecyclableBlade is now available for customers to use at their onshore wind sites.

As wind turbines become more prevalent and their disposal becomes more pressing, Springwise is seeing a rise in methods for recycling wind turbine blades. These include wind turbine bioplastic that can be recycled into gummy bears, a recyclable composite innovation turning turbine blades into snowsports equipment, and the UK’s first turbine blade recycling project.

Written By: Katrina Lane

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Eliminating the reliance of wind turbines on rare earths
CategoriesSustainable News

Eliminating the reliance of wind turbines on rare earths

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Rotating electrical contactors are integral components of many devices, including utility-scale direct-drive wind turbines. These magnets help to transmit electrical current along an ultra-low-resistance path, but they can be expensive to produce. In order to reduce the cost of these magnets, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have developed a new type of rotary electrical contactor called Twistact.

Twistact uses a pure-rolling-contact device to transmit electrical current, which eliminates the need for rare-earth magnets. The technology has been proven to be beneficial in lowering costs, improving sustainability, and reducing maintenance. With the help of this new technology, wind turbines can become more affordable and more efficient.

Twistact is also designed to address two physical degradation processes that are common in certain types of wind turbine component. These processes, known as sliding contact and electrical arcing, can reduce performance and lead to short operating lifetimes. The Twistact system, by contrast, has been proven capable of operating over the full 30-year service time of a multi-megawatt turbine without maintenance.

Twistact is still in the early stages of development, but Sandia is already exploring opportunities to partner with generator manufacturers and others in the renewable energy industry to assist with the development of next-generation direct-drive wind turbines. The potential applications for Twistact are not limited to wind turbines, however. Sandia is also open to partnering for applications such as electric vehicles or doubly-fed induction generators. With its unique capabilities, Twistact has the potential to make a significant impact in a number of industries.

As the world continues to transition to more sustainable forms of energy, Springwise has spotted numerous innovations in wind generation. For example, one company has developed floating vertical axis wind turbines while researchers are looking at how wind turbine bioplastic can be recycled into gummy bears. 

Written By: Katrina Lane

Reference

Small turbines turn almost any river into a hydroelectric power source
CategoriesSustainable News

Small turbines turn almost any river into a hydroelectric power source

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Rivers and canals that have mostly been overlooked as sources of renewable energy could begin providing enough power for an entire community. Belgian company Turbulent has developed vortex turbines that are small enough for use in almost any river or canal. Called Living Rivers, the systems of turbines all have impellers that move at a low enough speed to allow marine life to pass safely through the entire structure.

Requiring a minimum of a 1.5-metre drop in height, and a flow of 1.5 cubic metres per second for at least nine months of the year, the turbines provide a constancy of power in comparison to the variability of other renewable energy sources. Turbulent’s teams work closely with local communities to design, build, and manage each project.

A regular, although not onerous, maintenance schedule helps keep the turbines in good mechanical condition. Remote control access makes it easy to adjust the system, and Turbulent’s designs never impede the natural flow of the river. Rather, they help locals clean the waterway. A large trash rack plus protective mesh gathers rubbish and prevents it from travelling further downstream or harming the turbine.

Springwise previously covered Turbulent earlier in the startup’s development. Since then, the company has delivered projects in Bali, Chile, Estonia, France, and Portugal. Projects in the USA, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are in progress. Springwise has also been tracking the global growth of hydropower more broadly, spotting a hydroelectric dam built by robots, a turbine design that allows fish to pass safely, and a solar-hydro hybrid project in Thailand.

Written by: Keely Khoury

22nd July 2022

Email: info@turbulent.be

Website: turbulent.be

Reference

Wooden wind turbines store carbon
CategoriesSustainable News

Wooden wind turbines store carbon

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: Today, most wind turbine towers are made of tubular steel. But a partnership is promoting a surprising alternative: wood. Laminated veneer lumber (known as ‘LVL’) is a material made up of stacked layers of thin wood. Pound for pound it is stronger than steel, and Finnish LVL producer Stora Enso is teaming up with Modvion – a company that uses the engineered wood product to make next-generation turbine towers.

Modvion’s towers are built in lightweight modules. This approach has two key benefits from an engineering and construction perspective. First, the modular design makes it possible to build taller towers that can reach stronger winds, leading to more cost-efficient energy production. And second, the modules can be easily transported on public roads – without the need for permits or road reconstructions.

But perhaps the most compelling reason for making the switch from steel to LVL is the sustainability benefits of using a wood-based material. Wood is a renewable resource, and using it reduces the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the turbine tower by 90 per cent. Moreover, using wood as a construction material locks away the carbon dioxide absorbed by the tree during its lifetime for the long term.

“The commitment of Stora Enso to replace fossil-based materials with renewables is a perfect match for Modvion,” explains Otto Lundman, CEO of Modvion. “To solve the climate crisis, we need more renewable energy as well as increased use of sustainable, wooden constructions,” he adds.

Springwise has spotted several recent innovations that use wood as a construction material. These include a skyscraper made from cross-laminated timber, a wall system made from waste wood, and engineered wooden walls strong enough to replace all above-ground steel and concrete.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

1st June 2022

Email: info@modvion.com

Website: modvion.com

Reference

A new design for at-home wind turbines
CategoriesSustainable News

A new design for at-home wind turbines

By Zarkon Group,

Spotted: For homeowners looking to power their house with renewable energy, wind power offers a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to solar panels. But while solar panels on domestic homes are an increasingly common sight in urban and suburban areas, far fewer houses are installed with wind turbines.

To reverse this situation, UK engineer Joe Garrett has developed the AuraGen – a new vertical axis wind turbine designed to be mounted on homes and commercial buildings. The AuraGen’s unique design aims to minimise a phenomenon called ‘dynamic stall’ where factors such as wind shear and turbulence place a heavy load on turbine blades – reducing their lifespan. Moreover, the design is simple—reducing maintenance requirements—and offers good power performance.

The new turbine is omni-directional, which means it works no matter which way the wind is blowing, and the technology is tailored to work most effectively on pitched roofs. In fact, the shape of the roof enhances the turbine’s performance, acting like an aerofoil to increase the velocity of air going through the turbine.

A frame is used to directly attach the turbine to the roof. This is an important benefit as, by using the height of the house, the design does not require a tall support structure. This increases stability, meaning that the turbine itself can be wider, leading to greater power generation.

Compared to solar panels, wind turbines have a much higher power density and can operate at night. This latter point means that the AuraGen could potentially be used to charge electric vehicles overnight.

The idea for the AuraGen came to Garrett as a teenager when he worked on scaffolding and rooftops with his dad. He told Springwise that his experiences working in the wind stuck with him and gave him the idea for a roof-mounted wind turbine. Thanks to the AuraGen design, Garrett received recognition as a winner of this year’s UK Young Innovators Awards.

The AuraGen is not the only domestic wind power solution spotted by Springwise. Another designer has developed a wind turbine ‘wall’ that can be tailored to the aesthetic of each home.  Springwise has also spotted a portable wind turbine weighing only 10 kilogrammes.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

31st March 2022

Website: ktn-uk.org/programme/young-innovators/

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