With LIDAR, Smart turbines can predict the wind

from green futures:

Smart turbines that can predict changes in air current could dramatically boost the efficiency of wind power. Existing turbines are designed to rotate into the wind and adjust their blade angles, but this only tends to happen periodically – whereas wind conditions are often much more changeable.

But a laser-based equivalent to radar, called LIDAR, will make it possible to monitor wind speeds up to 200 metres away from the turbine, says Torben Mikkelsen of the Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Denmark.

• EOT Wind archive
• EOT Energy archive

Concept: Solar and wind-powered hanging monorail

from Yanko Design:

At the tops of the towers are urban wind power generators. On top of each of the train cars are solar power generators. The interiors of the cars are mostly open, with seats along the sides to conserve space.

The seats inside the cars are made of Corian which is both strong and easy to clean. OLED panels, touch screen interfaces, Wi-Fi internet, headphone jacks, Bluetooth, information boards, interactivity galore!

• EOT Concept archive
• EOT Transportation archive

Turbine light illuminates highways with wind

from inhabitat:

TAK’s wind-powered light uses the moving air from cars zipping by on the highway to generate energy that can be used to power roadside lighting.

As more and more people across the world adopt cars as their primary mode of transportation, well-lit highways become increasingly important. But how can we sustainably power all those energy-sucking lights?

TAK Studio addressed that question in their entry into this year’s Greener Gadgets competition to find the green technology solution of the future.

• Turbine light