Environmental News, Eco-Friendly Gadgets - FreshAirTimes.eu

Thinking about making a low-cost, easy-to-install wind power device that provides a safe and attractive method for harnessing power from the wind? Virtually all modern wind turbines convert wind energy to electricity for energy distribution. So why not follow these steps and make your own Vertical Axis Wind Turbine or VAWT that stands on the ground and can accept wind from any direction, a unit that will potentially experience high winds, above 25MPH.

Vertical–axis wind machines have blades that go from top to bottom and look like a giant two-bladed egg beaters. The advantages of this arrangement are that generators and gearboxes can be placed close to the ground, and you need not worry about the wind direction. It is easier to maintain because most of their moving parts are located near the ground and there are no emissions or pollution produced by its operation. For those who live in areas with high winds and want to curb their electric bills, this option can be highly efficient and moreover an attractive energy source.

The UK government is going to soon unveil its plans of building approximately 7,000 wind turbines. It is expected that these offshore wind farms will generate enough electricity for every home in the UK by 2020. Shows how serious Britain is about saving the environment.

Even though the beautiful coastline of Britain would undergo change, it will play a vital part in Britain’s effort in combating climate change. If everything works according to the plans, then this would make the UK’s wind industry twice the size of any other country’s. Can you guess how much electricity these wind turbines will be producing by 2020? A whopping 33 gigawatts of electricity! (Current production is just 2 gigawatts)

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With a plunge into the eco friendly market with launching an entire fleet of environmentally responsible ideas in this year’s Frankfurt Motor show, Mercedes has done it again by introducing wind power for its electric smart for two vehicles.

In the head UK head office in Milton Keynes, a 20 m tall vertical axis wind turbine is installed. One of the six in the country, the turbine is specially designed for urban spaces and it spins to generate energy from where ever the wind comes from. The unique helical design and carbon fibre blades are designed for minimum noise and vibration. With in a year the energy generated by the wind turbine will be enough to power the car for 30,000 miles. Three charging points are installed with each of the six wind turbines installed.

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A floating wind turbine that its makers claim could significantly boost the renewable energy sector was officially launched at a trade show in the German capital. Wind turbines at sea are nothing new, but until now they have had to be sited in shallow waters so the bases could be fixed to the seabed. This not only means complicated and costly construction but also visual pollution, as the rotating blades can be seen from the shore. Unlike normal offshore wind turbines it does not need to be anchored to the seabed and can be used in waters deeper than 50 meters (164 feet), depths at which installation costs for fixed turbines become exorbitant. It will soon go into operation off the coast of Puglia in southern Italy.

Via: RawStory