Green Energy Concepts: Wind-Turbine Trees and Hydropanels
Tj Pickett-Pinex, Illinois Solar Decathlon Undergraduate Research ARISE Scholar
There are two mail problems with wind turbines in residential settings: they are imposing, intrusive structures that don’t function in a light breeze. A green-energy concept considers a turbine that looks like a tree and works in light winds. During the COP21 (https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement), a few streets away two prototype “wind trees” or arbres à vent, were quietly generating clean power from the gentle city breeze.
Designed and made by French company New Wind, the trees have plastic leaves which silently turn in the breeze, no matter which way it blows. The trees stand at over 9 metres tall and 7 metres wide, sporting a total of 54 green leaf-turbines that can capture up to 5.4 kilowatts of energy at a time and produce around 2,400 kWh annually. New Wind estimates the trees could meet half of the average French household’s annual energy needs or run a small, low-consumption office. A big advantage of the wind system over solar power is space. A 5.4kW solar array would take up about 131 square metres of roof, but a wind tree’s curved branches could be attached to any balcony or rooftop (https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/10/wind-turbine-that-looks-like-a-tree/.
For anyone wanting to “plant” their own tree, they will initially only be available in France. The approximate price of each tree will be about US $35,000, though that price will hopefully decrease as production becomes less expensive and the technology is further developed.
This fake tree is made from steel, and a slight breeze will allow the turbine to start spinning. One tree can power 80% of a home’s electricity and, as a compliment to solar panels, it can produce electricity when the sun is not shining. In urban areas where traditional turbines are not feasible, the leaves can capture energy from speeds less than five miles per hour. There will be a Powerwall where the solar panels and turbine tree’s power goes to be stored. This integrated battery system for home battery backup will allow for storage of clean energy whenever the grid goes down.
Small turbines for individuals are catching on; the Danish company Aeolos Wind Energy focuses on wind energy for homes, farms and schools, and Urban Green Energy recently installed turbines on apartment rooftops in New York.
Hydropanels (https://www.source.co/hydropanel/) use a combination of solar energy and condensation to pull water from the air. They contain a highly absorbent material that collects the moisture, which is then condensed, collected in a reservoir, and piped to a designated faucet. The water produced is clean and pure with no impurities or contaminants. It meets or exceeds water quality standards outlined in the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The panels are an independent drinking water solution using solar power to generate the right amount of electricity required to run its own system to produce water and charge the battery that ensures you can dispense water at night. Hydropanels can coexist with a solar PV panel array on the same roof. Whereas atmospheric water generators require great amounts of electricity to create water and only operate in high humidity, rendering them costly and often ineffective, hydropanels function in communities with low relative humidity, including Arizona (headquarters of Source). They are recommended for locations without a prolonged freeze. When temperature reach freezing, the panels enter hibernation mode and do not produce water.
Each hydropanel will produce about 180 standard bottles of water per month. They are 2.4 m long x 1.2 m wide x 1.13 m tall when mounted at 45 degrees and weigh 340 lb (dry weight). Ground mounting is recommended. 20 gallon and 40 gallon storage tank options are available. Larger tanks can be connected under the sink tank to provide more water storage for larger families or in areas where there may be prolonged cloud coverage.