"Upside Down" Windmill

Upside Down Windmill CROP STORAGE Silos 50 Old silos could be retrofitted to generate wind energy with a revolutionary new “upside down” wind energy system that we first wrote about 2 years ago Vol 36 No 2 The SheerWind system consists of a tower that captures wind at the top and funnels it down through a tapering passage which accelerates the flow and feeds into turbines to produce power The concept is similar to strong winds that swoop down between tall office buildings     “At low wind speeds conventional windmills run at only about 10 percent capacity while our system reaches 72 percent ” says Daryoush Allaei CEO and founder of SheerWind in Chaska Minn     SheerWind works in urban areas as well as wide open rural areas Other advantages include no noise from exposed blades no birds harmed by spinning blades and the ability to create towers out of a variety of materials because they don’t need to hold up heavy turbine blades     “You could take existing silos and convert them Put an air-catching head on top and a generator below and you’re done ” Allaei says     The model in Chaska is made of flexible materials so it’s portable and has the potential to be deployed for military and emergency use     Allaei envisions different size SheerWind systems for a variety of customers: building owners communities industrial parks shopping malls mega farms etc Currently his company is custom-building systems for clients who have specific kWh energy goals Eventually he hopes to set up mass production of 4 or 5 models According to simulations and field-testing the Invelox technology can produce three times more energy than a traditional wind turbine and bring wind power generation costs down to 1 to 2 cents/kWh Installation costs are about 40 percent less than traditional turbines and 40 to 50 percent less expensive to operate and maintain     With recent publicity and energy awards Allaei says he has been contacted by people and companies in the U S and overseas     Contact: FARM SHOW Followup SheerWind 143 Jonathan Blvd N Suite 200 Chaska Minn 55318 ph 952 556-0173; www sheerwinds com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.