#ewicon #renewables #greenenergy #windturbine #delftuniversity #ukmfg #engineering The Dutch firm Mecanoo Architects and two researchers from Delft Technical University (Johan Smit and Dhiradj Djairam) have developed a wind turbine called the Ewicon (electrostatic wind energy converter) that has no moving parts and uses charged water droplets to turn wind energy into electrical power.
Most wind turbines generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy of the wind into the mechanical energy of the blades rotating, which in turn can be used to generate electrical energy. The Ewicon “creates electrical energy through the displacement of charged particles by the wind in the opposite direction of an electrical field,” according to Mr Smit.
It comprises a steel frame holding about 40 rows of insulated tubes, giving it “the appearance of a large tennis racket”. Each tube features several electrodes and nozzles that release positively charged water into the air, through a process that the two researchers call “electro-spraying”. Mr Smits said: “Positively charged particles naturally move towards the negative electrode but, when the wind is allowed to push the particle away from the negative electrode, it increases its potential electrical energy — a little like pushing a rock up a hill against gravity. This increased energy can then be collected.”
A scale model of the Ewicon has been developed by Mecanoo Architects; it is located in front of the faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science at Delft University of Technology.
So far, the researchers have only made a few small-scale working prototypes, but they are seeking funding to build a larger model. They claim that the Ewicon will cost much less to maintain than conventional wind turbines. In addition, it can be installed on land or sea, or on the roof of a tall building.