Superturbines: The Ultimate Win-Wind Renewable Energy Solution

The world is now at a point where renewable energy isn’t just seen as ideal, but an absolutely necessity. Selsam’s SuperTurbines seems like a breath of fresh air—just when the world is ready to inhale. There are two reasons why these new flying SuperTurbines are poised to potentially make a real difference in renewable energy production. First of all, they are based on a smart, efficient design. In general, the higher up you go, the faster the wind is. Superturbines are designed to be up where they can best capture the amazing power of wind. It’s held high with a floating blimp or on a lightweight, flexible shaft, which can be deployed at sea.

The SuperTurbine is constructed of many seven -foot single-rotor turbines connected to one long flexible carbon fiber shaft, rather than the conventional single rotor. The second reason why SuperTurbines have the power to change the world NOW is that they are based on preexisting technology using a simple gearbox. This creates the potential for a cheap, fast, simple and low maintenance turbine system that can be set-up around the globe relatively quickly. It’s easy to see why people are getting excited.

The innovative wind energy company, Selsam, has recently launched their new designs that have a lot of people feeling more hopeful about the future of renewable energy. Selsam's prototypes produce 6000 watts in only 32.5 mph winds. That’s approximately six times more power than a similarly sized seven-foot single-rotor turbine is capable of producing The design consists of a rotor-studded shaft sprouting out from a floating base, which is anchored to the ocean floor. Selsam says the system is designed so that the turbine's base rotates like a human spine, thus the turbines won't twist and spin out of control. To solve the problem of stormy weather, the turbine's base can also quickly take in water to submerge itself safely beneath the ocean's surface.

Right now the US is already experiencing a bottleneck in the production of the older, bulkier wind turbines, with production not even close to meeting demand. GE has reported that it is unable to make turbines fast enough. Not too surprising, considering that some of the larger turbines have a propeller size with a wider “wingspan” than commercial airliners and requires an much more intricately machined gearbox. Selsam says that these factors, among others, make conventional wind turbine engineering too time and resource-intensive, leading to the estimated $12 billion worth of backlogged orders.

Selsam's SuperTurbines offer an innovative solution. Their scaled-down multi-rotor system is more efficient, cheaper and easier to produce than it’s larger predecessors. Selsam's most recent designs are optimized for sea deployment and consist of a rotor-studded shaft stemming from a floating base that is anchored to the ocean floor. The system is designed so that turbine's base rotates similarly to the human spine, thus the turbines won't twist and spin out of control. As an ingenious answer to stormy weather, the turbine's base can fill with water, submerging it safely beneath the ocean's surface. Of course, every technology has its assets and liabilities, but there’s no doubt that these new SuperTurbines have some exciting potential.

Posted by Rebecca Sato

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Source Links:
http://www.speakerfactory.net/TURBINES/INNOVATIONS/7ROT-7FOOT-2GEN/PAGES/7ROT-7FOOT-2GEN.html
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/05/15/selsam-superturbines-take-flight/#more-10488

Comments

[jer35mx]

Maybe I'm basing my commentary on the image but Didn't the Nasa tried it with a satellite to "get" energy and that "line" just resisted 3 to 12 hours in space the tension?