Aeaea Turbines
Aeaea turbines take a familiar, organic shape. The helix occurs frequently in nature - sea shells, plants, sheep’s horns, and of course we have the double helix in our DNA. Their motion is graceful and silent, their form efficient and strong.
Many helical forms have been tried for VAWTs, but Aeaea function in ways others do not. For instance, most turn slower than the flow they are in. Aeaea are most powerful when turning just slightly faster than the flow, about 1.1 times the flow velocity. Set to freewheel, they rotate up to 1.8 times the flow rate. This is unmatched in other VAWTs.
Many helical forms have been tried for VAWTs, but Aeaea function in ways others do not. For instance, most turn slower than the flow they are in. Aeaea are most powerful when turning just slightly faster than the flow, about 1.1 times the flow velocity. Set to freewheel, they rotate up to 1.8 times the flow rate. This is unmatched in other VAWTs.
And yet they function at almost 8 times less velocity than HAWTs, whose wing tips go about 7.5 times more velocity than the wind they are in.
Aeaea function simultaneously as efficient sails. Wind exhausts from them at about 50° off wind direction, pushing the turbine roughly sideways, across the direction of the wind, like a sail.
How much?
Because of their strong natural form, Aeaea can be made out of common, widely available in-expensive materials. Industrial applications could use sheet metal like roofing material. Roto-molded composites, like inexpensive kayaks, are about half the weight and cost of sheet steel and tougher than fiber glass. Aeaea can be fabric, just like sails. We may forget exotics like carbon fiber, Aeaea can be made from recycled auto-bodies and fabrics.
How Efficient?
In pure mechanical efficiency, Aeaea are roughly half that of HAWTS which convert up to half of the wind force into electricity. Aeaea are about 20%. But Aeaea function in up to 30 times more wind force. Simple math is clear - 20% of 30 is bigger than is 50% of one. Productivity is the key measure not pure efficiency. Productivity also suggests looking at resource availability and abundance.
Safe for other Creatures
Aeaea is the name of the mythological island home of Circe, the Greek goddess of mysterious powers.
While conventional wind tech focused on pure efficiency, it didn’t read the room on what greater, much more abundant forces were being overlooked. Perhaps the greatest mystery is why we did not look sooner.
Moving into a future where we need much more energy, tech like Aeaea will lead the advance into these immeasurably more abundant natural resources.