Is it a blimp or is it a balloon? Nah, it’s a wind turbine! The concept of wind turbine, that is the Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS), has finally materialized and it seems to take off well as the first full scale version is floating in an airship hangar in North Carolina. It is a lighter-than-air tethered wind turbine that rotates about a horizontal axis in response to wind, generating electrical energy. This electrical energy can then be transferred down the 1000-foot tether for immediate use, or to a set of batteries for later use, or to the power grid. Since Helium sustains MARS, it can ascend to a higher altitude than traditional wind turbines.
Unlike other competing wind generators that use bladed two-dimensional disk-like structures and rigid towers, this system is a closed three-dimensional structure cylinder. It offers high torque, low starting speeds, and superior overall efficiency thanks to its ability to deploy higher. The closed structure allows Magenn Power to produce wind rotors from very small to very large sizes at a fraction of the cost of current wind generators. Also its USP is that it’s not as dependent on factors such as the availability of open space. It also can be floated above tree lines to access strong and constant wind!
The prototype will be moved to an outdoor location for further testing, and then by four demonstration projects. They are now concentrating on the larger 100Kw model for remote industrial sites; the small 4Kw model for campers and cottages has been put on the back burner for now.
Pierre Rivard, president and CEO of Magenn, said the MARS is intended as a renewable energy source for industrial customers seeking to replace diesel generators or who need to use energy in remote locations.
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Via: Treehugger
