In Tunisia, the gorgeous hummingbird is inspiring wind turbine design. Tyer Wind has introduced a revolutionary wind converter that mimics the motion of hummingbird wings.
The hummingbird is not the bird who can hover and fly backward only, but it is also the most energetically efficient flyer. The turbine employs dual oscillating blades that imitate the figure 8 motion of the hummingbird while it hovers. Unlike the conventional horizontal axis 3-blade wind turbine, the design is very compact, which makes it well suited for the residential use.
The turbine consists of two vertical axis wings made up of carbon fiber. With the length of 5.25 feet each, the two wings can sweep an area of nearly 11.7 square feet while moving in an 80-degree arc to convert the wind kinetic energy into electricity. The rated power output of the turbine is 1 KW.
One of the primary purposes behind the design was to reduce the carbon emissions by mimicking nature. The turbine not only produces less noise, but its compact design makes it visually unobtrusive and safer for birds.
The Tyer Wind turbine is still in the testing phase, but the company has plans to introduce a large scale version that can be used in wind farms. The power efficiency, aerodynamic behavior, and material resistance are being tested yet, hence it is quite far from hitting the market. The company is not expected to announce the performance capabilities, price, and the release date until after the completion of the testing phase.
The inventor of Tyer Wind turbine, Anis Aouini, has already designed another unique wind converter design for his company Saphon Energy; a bladeless turbine. Aouini claims that in the hummingbird turbine,
“Aouninian 3D kinematics design allows conversion of linear motion into a rotational one.”
Here is the promo video of the Tyer Wind Turbine.
Even though the initial design and tests look promising, do not get too excited until the product is released.
Let us know about the design and prospects of this turbine in the comments’ section below.
Looks very promising, but I notice the mast shaking a bit as it operates. So it needs to be dynamically balanced so it doesn’t tear itself apart. Maybe a second set of wings operating in opposition would cancel out the shaking.