Inventions & Questionable Turbines

This category is a catchall for all those contraptions that burst on the scene in a blaze of media hype as different from those “other” wind turbines only to eventually disappear. It’s not possible to critique every “invention” that plagues the field of wind energy so only those that have piqued my curiosity, or are particularly egregious, are listed here.

Flodesign Prototype On Deer Island, Massachusetts. Copyright By Ewan O'sullivan. All Rights Reserved. Used With Permission.

FloDesign Ogin Ducted Wind Turbine at Deer Island Coming Down

By

Paul Gipe

FloDesign’s prototype ducted wind turbine on Deer Island in Boston Harbor is being removed, according the agency that operates the nearby sewage treatment plant.

Four Skystream 2.1 Kw Wind Turbines Atop 12 West In Downtown Portland, Oregon In An Infamous Greenwashing Project. The Turbines, Which Cost $240,000 Only Generate 5,500 Kwh Per Year. And This Is One Of The Rare Rooftop Mounted Wind Turbine Projects Where The Wind Turbines Are Actually Working.

Rooftop and Building Integrated Wind Turbines are a Failure Says NREL

By

Paul Gipe

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) concludes in a new report that rooftop-mounted and building-integrated wind turbines are a failure, though readers would be hard pressed to find that statement in so many words.

Googles Makani Tethered Powered Kite In Towing Jpg

Google applies for wind-assisted propulsion patent using Makani kite

By

Paul Gipe

Makani Airborne Wind Energy Turbine (AWT) hasn’t been in the news lately. They arrived in a flurry of press in 2013 as the next big thing from Google. The device is a powered kite tethered to the ground or in this new application to a ship. The device is a powered kite tethered to the ground or in this new application to a ship.

Remember that “wind tree”? It’s worse than we thought

By

Simon Mahan

Turns out, the wind tree is actually worse than initially thought.

Ogin Ducted Turbine Employees Speak Out

By

Paul Gipe

Former employees of the erstwhile ducted turbine manufacturer Ogin have posted comments about their jobs on a public web site.

Close-up Photos of Ogin DAWT Dismantlement in San Gorgonio Pass

By

Paul Gipe

More photos of the Ogin ducted wind turbine dismantlement have been “thrown over my transom.” These close-up photos show far more detail of the disassembly and scrapping process than before.