Are there any advancements being made with wind power?

Question

Maybe cloth blades, or retractable in high winds, or aquatics?

Answer 1

Yes - as with any technology there are always improvements being made to make a good product better.  Overall the majority of wind turbines that you see are based very old technology however there are more designs entering the market that are based on the vertical axis design such as this http://www.residential-wind-power.com/20...

There are also many people with an interest in design and development bringing new products to the market such as this spiral wind turbine http://www.residential-wind-power.com/20...

Answer 2

Yes, offshore wind technology is being developed.  It's more expensive than onshore wind, and it's anchored to the sea floor (not floating).  It's a pretty cool technology though which can solve the problem of where to put new turbines, since a lot of people have a 'not in my backyard' mindset about it.

Answer 3

As you may not be aware-- Texas leads the nation on wind power-- Boone Pickens is planning a multi gigawatt wind farm in West Texas right now.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19231397/

http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/An...

The issue is the approximate 2 billion it will take to bring the power from far west Texas where it is produced to the cities-- right of way for the transmission towers. He will probably pull it off-- BUT he could easily do it if CONGRESS would get behind these types of programs with tax CREDITS to offset his capital expense costs. Yes he will get richer but so what--

Edit-- for Dana-- yes lots of wind energy offshore along with 86 billion barrels of oil and even more natural gas. So write a letter to Ted Kennedy and ask him why he is against renewable energy sources--- off shore Cape Cod.

Answer 4

Not that I heard of. Wind turbine technology is already pretty mature. A technology is considered mature when almost all the theoretical efficiency has been achieved. Modern wind generators come close to getting as much energy from the wind as is theoretically possible. But I did see some large wind turbine blades going down the road on a big truck today. Of course that truck was burning $5 a gallon diesel. Maybe it was bio diesel.

Answer 5

One advancement is a floating wind turbine that is being developed by a local company here in Canada.  The company is called Magenn Power Inc. and their product is called Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS).

Some details from their website:

"MARS is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, generating electrical energy. This electrical energy is transferred down the 1000-foot tether for immediate use, or to a set of batteries for later use, or to the power grid. Helium sustains MARS and allows it to ascend to a higher altitude than traditional wind turbines. MARS captures the energy available in the 600 to 1000-foot low level and nocturnal jet streams that exist almost everywhere. MARS rotation also generates the "Magnus effect" which provides additional lift, keeps the MARS stabilized, and positions it within a very controlled and restricted location to adhere to FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) & Transport Canada guidelines."

"Magenn Power Inc. plans to start manufacturing its Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS) in 2009/10 with a 10 kW to 25 kW MARS unit being the first one shipping."

There are a number of great diagrams on their site. You've got to see this thing to believe it.

Answer 6

Lots- wind is still the most expensive of the practical renewable forms of generating electricity, but where do you want to start with the development of the technology in the last 10 years? Breakthroughs in materials development (composites), increased service intervals, lower initial costs, longer service lives and more flexibility in placement.

There are floating spar platforms under development- rather than building towers in deep water, mills can be towed into position upright in deep water, and anchored with just 3 subsea mooring cables and a power cable between units- this eliminates construction disturbing the seafloor, and also allows the units to be moved and removed if necessary.

It's come a long way.

Answer 7

Mostly in Denmark, the world's leader in developing wind technology.

http://www.windpower.org/en/core.htm

Germany has an energy policy which has made it the world's leader in deployment of wind power.