How a Small Wind Turbine Will Revolutionize Wind Energy

It is difficult to bring small wind turbines or SWTs to the ground. It is difficult to find a place for SWTs and their low efficiency may be the only thing that keeps their high costs right. They also have to face the same problems as noise, vibration, environmental impact, and beauty. These factors become important to people and it is difficult to correct them. If we think small against the traditional wind turbine logic, then what are the alternatives? There are a lot of fast winds that can be used effectively. And they are not all in the mountains or out of the sea. People living in big cities know about them and soon wind turbines can be around you. How can SWTs change the roads with wind? When can people in apartments start producing their own wind energy? Why did a SWT company get inspired by a NASA rover that was like a beach ball? I am Matt Ferrell. Welcome to Undecided. This video has been presented by Factor. We are at the point of solar mass adoption where it is almost everywhere in the clean energy transition. Wind has been left behind even though it is influential in the bang for the buck. A part of the problem is that wind has a large footprint. You can install solar areas on your current roof, but you cannot install a standard-sized turbine in the backyard until it is reduced. Over time, I have covered these SWTs more on the channel. My opinion on residential wind has changed. I agree that wind is not suitable for most urban houses. The land and space are very much needed for the average householder. But this does not mean that there is no chance of residential wind. The truth is that most of the world lives in cities. Especially in America, where about 80% of the people live in urban areas. Metropolitan areas challenge wind energy. O-Innovations is one of the companies that are facing this challenge. Its turbine design can enable residents to produce their own energy from the wind. Recently, I had the opportunity to interview the founder and CEO of O-Innovations, Nicholas Orellana, and the co-developer of O-Wind Turbine. If you live in rural areas, you can install solar panels and become responsible for it. But this is not the case in urban areas. You are not responsible. You are just giving problems to someone else. They just need one number, one kilowatt hour a day. First, raise awareness. Explain to people that this is a problem that they should be a part of. And then give the possibility of a solution. This is not just to make me feel bad that I am asking for something that I can give. This is actually something that I can take action on. City planners and architects should be aware of the turbulence that occurs between buildings. Wind turbines go up to such heights that wind speeds are high. Anyway, where it is high, there is no difference in a concrete jungle. Without the right plan, these whirlwinds will run down from the smooth surfaces of tall structures and bring them to the ground. This is called downwash. This is also the reason why many outdoor restaurants have a malfunctioning system. This is not just a physical incident. When the wind hits the corners, it becomes fast. Then there is another effect. Another way by which turbulent winds can reach the ground and cause problems. And the venturi effect, which I will come to in a minute. In total, it creates a lot of turbulent, rough air. And yes, a lot of lost caps. In those places, you actually have fast winds. A lot of energy. We call it high energy potential spots. In these places, we can go up to three times the speed of normal open space. And it means 27 times more energy. Harnessing that air, which goes in different directions, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, eddies, everything. And this speed also changes. It keeps changing. That's why it is difficult to harness it for any other wind turbine. Wind turbines are designed for clean wind. We call them that. And this is why these big turbines are located offshore or onshore. But in special places where they can harness it. Clean wind means a steady direction, steady speed. In cities, this wind is completely opposite. But it has not stopped engineers from finding ways to control the wild winds. And while talking about controlling those wild winds, I feel that I have to control my hunger. I am shooting this just before lunch. And I am very hungry right now. So this is a good time for today's sponsor. To take a quick snack break with Factor. My schedule is so busy that preparing nutritious food at lunchtime has become a challenge. I was taking a shortcut and Aasan was not eating such healthy food. Too much. Factor actually helped me to keep away the stress of making and preparing what I eat. While keeping it good and healthy. And the interesting fact is that I actually signed up for Factor. Before they ever became a sponsor. About two years ago. One of my favorite things is diversity. Factor provides 35 nutritious foods every week. Like Gourmet Plus, Keto, Calorie Smart, or Vegan and Veggie alternatives. It is actually easy to find something that you will like. And I am a little crazy about their peanut butter bowl. Factor is not just about what you eat every week. But you can stop your delivery at any time. Or you can decide again. No preparation. No waste. Never frozen. And it is ready in just two minutes. Go to factorfast75.com. Or click on the link given below. And to get 50% off and free shipping on your first Factor box. Use code 50undecided. Use code 50undecided on factor75.com. And to get 50% off and free shipping on your first Factor box. Thank you for supporting the channel of Factor and all of you. Salute to those engineers who are trying to control the wild winds. Long-time viewers can remember that we had covered the installation of the first Dutch company Ibis Power and its PowerNest Turbine. PowerNest takes advantage of the Venturi effect which increases the speed of the wind. Venturi effect shows how the wind can affect pedestrians. I used to feel like a wind tunnel while going to work in Boston. That wind is made to handle bad gusts. This turbine will not remove the rest of the turbines in the world. It will not compete with offshore turbines. Its purpose is a special use case which is in turbulent wind cities. We have covered Aeromine Rooftop Turbine. O-Wind and Aeromine fill the ground separately but share the same neem. The design of O-Wind depends on Bernoulli's theory. O-Wind is different from other SWTs. Because of its ability to capture the wind from any direction, it can be used on both vertical and horizontal planes. It can not only take the wind from the horizontal but also from the vertical and also from above and below. So in reality, it is omnidirectional. The word omnidirectional has been misused in the past by vertical axis wind turbines. But omni means everything. So vertical thrust is also included in all the winds. How does it work? O-Wind is covered by a series of vents which have large openings. The wind passes through the vents and creates pressure difference. But according to Bernoulli's theory, as soon as the wind passes through the small exits, the pressure decreases. Aurelano designed O-Wind for a college project. Inspired by NASA's Tumbleweed rover, he invented a wind-powered device. He did not make it available for electrification until 12 years later. O-Wind can capture the wind from any direction but rotates on only one axis. It requires fewer moving parts for steering. If you remember my video on the challenges of residential wind, then you know that this is a big advantage. Moving parts and maintenance is the Achilles heel of small-scale wind. What about wind energy problems? According to our interview, O-Innovations did not have data on the shore levels of the turbines. But according to Aurelano, O-Wind is almost silent. Pilot testing has shown that O-Wind is unobtrusive. These are all good things. But there is always a question of a million dollars. Is the turbine a competitive advantage? A small answer? It depends. Aurelano emphasized that O-Wind is based on the right siting. It is not SWT for open space. And the first model is a 2.2-meter or 7.2-foot diameter model for urban use. Aurelano described the value in this way. Looking at the solar conditions in the UK, this value will be there to a large extent in TAG and ROI. The estimated power output of O-Wind is between 2,000 to 5,000 kWh per year. This is enough to cover the annual electricity bill in the UK. But in America, not so much. Only O-Wind will actually be effective in some areas of the state. Considering that the average apartment is within the limit of 6,000 kWh. Note that these figures are based on data from 2015. To keep them in perspective, in 2020, the average annual electricity bill for all houses in America was about 5,566 kWh. It is important to note here that the American energy bill is much higher than that of other countries. According to our world in data, the average American consumes the same amount of energy per month as the average Indian consumes in a year. The average British consumes twice as much as the average Brazilian. So, even though the meaning of Eco-O-Wind is not for single-family homes in America, and New Yorkers may not be able to reach complete energy independence, it is definitely not without its use. O-Innovations is working to showcase the latest technologies of O-Wind. And the next pilot project is organized by Spotify. After completing the test, Orellana hopes that the turbine will be in the market by the end of 2025. There is a turbine and some people are testing it. But it is not ready. There is space for urban activities. And so far, there has been no success. I hope that we will be the first to start filling the urban space with energy. But what do you think? Will the wind turbine become a new wind chimes? Or will the people of the city look for renewables elsewhere? Tell me in the comments. And make sure to listen to my podcast, Still To Be Determined. As always, thank you to my patrons for your continuous support. Keep your mind open, stay curious, and I will see you in the next video.