WhyNot?

Wind Generator Funnel Mod

Category: Environment
Responses: 2 (1 in support, 0 neutral, 1 in opposition)
Number of views: 1329
Tracking: Track this idea
Community Rating:Average AverageYour Rating:

Why not have large funnels in front of wind generators. They put them in valleys already but I think put say a 20 square meter funnel(doesn't have to be solid, could be vinyl or plastic)in front so you get concentrated air flow through the vanes rather than making masive vanes?

Ryanb, Dec 02 2007

What do you think of this idea or comment?
(You can change your vote at any time)

agree I agree no opinion No opinion disagree I disagree

Users who liked this idea also liked:

Other ideas in category (Environment):

Fluorescent plants (1 votes) Average
Solar Panels + Thermocouplers (1 votes) Average
Solid copper wire (3 votes) Weak
plastic bag rope (1 votes) Average
Hot/Cold Paint (8 votes) Strong
a better woodstove (6 votes) Average
Lightning power (2 votes) Average
Solar driven car air con (2 votes) Average
cleaning oil spills on water ! (1 votes) Average
Outboard motor shroud (1 votes) Average
EWS pop up (2 votes) Average
Moon as solar cell (2 votes) Average
High volume Solar Still (2 votes) Average
Free energy (1 votes) Average
Plastic trash recycle (1 votes) Average
How To Discourage Food Waste (3 votes) Average
Benches with rotating seats (3 votes) Average
self powered generator (5 votes) Weak
Hurricane Shutters (4 votes) Average
Wind Generator Funnel Mod (2 votes) Average
Cheap room insulators (5 votes) Weak
The rising sea (7 votes) Strong
Vehicle Energy Plan (2 votes) Average
Pay Trash Removal By The Pound (2 votes) Average
river-mills (1 votes) Average
is fossil fuel really gone (2 votes) Average
Global Roll Call (2 votes) Average
Polar cities for survivors (1 votes) Average
Devastating Meteor Contingency (4 votes) Weak
Fish for Global Cooling (5 votes) Average
Climate change?A BLESSING (5 votes) Weak
Floating Farms (4 votes) Average
Individual use solar panels (2 votes) Average
Waterproofing roads (2 votes) Average
perpetual motion does exist (7 votes) Weak
Creating A Carbon Economy (1 votes) Average
TRUCKS WITH MAIL BAGS (3 votes) Weak
Power generation (2 votes) Average
Sailing ships (3 votes) Average
TURBO TRAINS (4 votes) Weak
Sure way to end Junk Mail (1 votes) Average
GoogleEarth vehicle range (2 votes) Average
Shark detector device - beach (1 votes) Average
Easy Battery Recycling (5 votes) Average
Pre-programmed car trip (0 votes) Very weak
Fighting back on postal spam (1 votes) Average
Brake Generator (2 votes) Average
Home Water recycling (1 votes) Average
Energy Recovery System (1 votes) Average
Smart power adapters (1 votes) Average
non profit electricity company (2 votes) Average
Flood & Drought Balance (3 votes) Weak
Less shopping bags (2 votes) Average
bagging up sh#t (4 votes) Weak
rotation of earth power (3 votes) Weak
Create energy at the gym (5 votes) Strong
Artificial Photosynthesis (2 votes) Average
Bio degradable plastic (4 votes) Average
CFL's & other hazardous waste (5 votes) Average
Solar power & mirrors (4 votes) Average
Ludicrous new transport system (3 votes) Weak
Shopping bags (2 votes) Average
RFID Jammer and Disabler (6 votes) Strong
Earthship Homes (1 votes) Average
Create Great Photo Slideshow (1 votes) Average
watching cartoon in subway (3 votes) Average
Mudslides (3 votes) Average
Eco+paintball= seedball (2 votes) Average
GPS Bus Door Bell (3 votes) Average
Traffic Solution? (6 votes) Strong
Hurricane/tornado-proof bldgs (1 votes) Average
Hurricane/tornado-proof bldgs (1 votes) Average
Smart Roads and highways (1 votes) Average
Wind Turbines in Big Cities (3 votes) Average
electricity from lightening (3 votes) Average
Conserving Sound Energy (2 votes) Average
Air as a soruce of energy (2 votes) Average
Food Producing (2 votes) Average
Charging the unchargeable (2 votes) Average
No Drip Gas Pump (4 votes) Average
Half-size Newspapers (5 votes) Weak
Plant radiation detection (1 votes) Average
Tracker Ball Road (4 votes) Weak
NO FREE PAPERS Yard Sign (4 votes) Average
Emergency levy plug (1 votes) Weak
charitable self-taxation (4 votes) Average
Locust plagues (6 votes) Strong
Farming Subsidies: Organic (8 votes) Average
Comments from other members:

Add your comment

I imagine the biggest difficulty would be that the funnel would have to be able to turn with the windmill to point into the ever-changing wind. Also, in very high winds, the large blades can be 'feathered', that is, made more-paralell with the shaft, to keep them from being damaged. I can imagine your funnel would have to have a mechanism to allow large winds to blow through them to prevent damage. Not a bad idea, just complex.

hrench, Dec 04 2007

In Perth they have 25 to 40 knot seabreezes every afternoon(best place in the world for kitesurfing) The cold antartic water moves up the coast combined with the hot desert(you know the rest). If the setup of the funnels was at around 90 deg. it could catch 90 deg of seabreeze action.

Ryanb, Dec 06 2007

Just another quick idea. I wonder if you could use gearing to compensate for higher wind/lower wind or will a generator work efficiently at any speed?

Ryanb, Dec 06 2007

This has been done, although the funnel is behind the turbine and "sucks" more air throuhg. It does increase power output but is too expensive to attach onto the turbine. Remember that all wind turbines are on top of tall towers and any weight and wind resistance you add means building the whole structure stronger, heavier and more expensive. Imagine the funnel in a storm - it would need to be incredibly strong to survive. So it's not viable. There was a company that proposed this a few years ago - it was a scam. They took investors money and then closed down.

bkf11, Jun 15 2008