Tornado’s can now mean something constructive and not just destruction. Louis Michaud who is a Canadian engineer, aims to turn tornadoes into power plants by creating and containing them.
The proposed man-made turbulences could generate enough electricity to power thousands of homes. The equipment to generate the tornado will be atmospheric vortex engine which will suck in hot air through a series of ducts at the base and channel it into an open roof arena. This would lead to the production of a tornado-like funnel of air that would provide the turbulent push to turn power-generating turbines.
Michaud is shopping this prototype around to energy companies, hoping to get funding to build a tornado pool the size of a sports arena. The tornadoes would stretch up to 9 miles high, spinning turbines to generate electricity.
The Centre for Energy at the Ontario Centre’s of Excellence recently awarded Michaud with a grant to study the three-foot-tall model he built in his garage. Several notable scientists, such as Kerry Emanuel, renowned hurricane expert of MIT, now sit on the advisory board.
Although Michaud’s theory is under a lot of criticism, the idea is not bad. With prices for traditional fuels still riding high, it’s more economically feasible to pursue potential energy sources that might otherwise appear to be crazy. Algae, huge kites, lightning bolts and tornadoes might just be the energy sources of tomorrow.
Via: Triplepundit
