<<< Wind Energy Skyscrapers >>>

[gaetanomarano]

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I don't know if a "Wind Energy Skyscraper" like this could even be built someday (the concepts I've seen so far, just add two-three rotors to a skyscraper to save 10-15% of energy) however, it looks like a very good idea that worth an article:

http://www.gaetanomarano.it/articles/028energy.html




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[Imperar]

Another genius invention that needs to be put to good use.

[Alpha]

The problem of such structure is, that it cannot use wind coming from all directions. Further there may be safety concerns for window cleaners or in case of fire rescue.

In my opinion a wind park outside a town or a wind turbine on a roof ( I saw such thing on a silo in Switzerland) is the better choice.

[Qaabus]

Building that "energy storage system" alone will probably cost more energy than those windmills will produce over their entire lifetime.

[gaetanomarano]

Originally Posted by Alpha

...it cannot use wind coming from all directions...

a so (relatively) small structure can't receive winds from many directions ... however, all rotors can be built to turn 360 degrees on their axis

...for window cleaners or in case of fire rescue...

the W.E.S. has NO apartments, its just a skyscraper's skeleton that supports the wind turbines

...a wind park outside a town or a wind turbine on a roof...

but if you multiply the wind parks for a full nation's needs, you'll cover a forest!
the main purpose of the W.E.S. is (exactly) to give more power in smaller "footprints"

[gaetanomarano]

Originally Posted by Qaabus

Building that "energy storage system" alone will probably cost more energy than those windmills will produce over their entire lifetime.

all big wind/solar/sea/geothermal energy source must have (and will have) an "energy storage system" ... however, looking twice at my drawing, I admit that its "energy storage system" is (5-10 times) BIGGER than necessary since it must store just a little part (maybe, 10-20%) of the wind skyscrapers' energy (like the night and weekend extra energy)

[SFUVancouver]

I disagree that an on-site storage system is essential. A building that produces its own electricity will consume it on-site and if it is grid-tied, and it makes no logical sense for it not to be, then the excess electricity would be sold to the grid. This peak-shaving form of electrical generation further rewards energy conservation in the building because every watt saved is not simply a forgone cost, but rather it is sold for a profit, compelling still further conservation or a scaling up of the generation system. An intelligent grid system monitors demand and the utility alters their generation accordingly.

[gaetanomarano]

Originally Posted by SFUVancouver

I disagree that an on-site storage system is essential. A building that produces its own electricity will consume it on-site...

my "Wind Energy Skyscrapers" have NO apartments or offices NOR inhabitants, they are PURE wind energy Power Plants, so, an "Energy Storage System" is absolutely necessary to increase (very much) their efficiency storing the excess of energy (produced in the night, weekends, holydays, and high speed winds) to be released on peak energy needs ... however, a good idea to optimize that storage systems, is to build just a few units to store the excess energy of hundreds W.E.S. power plants (with everything located miles away from big cities, of course)
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[_J_]

Here's a recent post from my blog anti.integer, which talks about the reinvention and urban deployment of wind power:

Wind turbines have long had a place in the exurbs of California---what would the drive down the 5 be without white blades spinning in the hills? Inclusion of wind turbines in new skyscraper designs from Bahrain to San Francisco seems to indicate a sea change in progress: wind power is being re-contextualized, coming out of hiding in the rural periphery for integration into the urban fabric.

Along with increased interest comes exciting new technology. Take, for example, maglev wind turbines, just now transitioning from concept to reality. These turbines replace the mechanical connection between rotor and stator with a passive magnetic levitation scheme, usually utilizing the halbach array (a super-slick arrangement of magnets which cancels the magnetic field on one side of the array and amplifies it on the other side, all without electromagnetic input). This bearing-free design allows all of the wind's mechanical potential to be harnessed for conversion to electrical current, instead of a significant percentage re-radiating into the troposphere as friction-produced heat. These turbines are still limited by the efficiency of the impulse turbine (theoretically recovering ≤60% of the kinetic energy incident upon it).

Combine this technology with David Fisher/Dynamic Architecture's inclusion of horizontal wind turbines between each floor of a highrise and you have a perfectly inhabitable power plant which could pump hundreds of megawatt-hours back into the grid.

Added bonus: abatement of the urban wind tunnel effect all downtown inhabitants rue on the daily. What if wind generators like this had been in place on every building in New Orleans...

[DanJ]

^ that stuff is supper cool. I like that integration into the rotating dubai towers, I had not heard that was part of that project, it is pretty cool. I like the look of the San Fransico one as well, it really works

[Mocholate]

Great concept

Hopefully a trend develops in adapting wind and solar powered systems to residential structures as more people start to catch on to the financial benefit of selling their excess generated electricity back to the grid

Naturally as any new concept the installation prices are high but with any luck they will become popular therefore seeing a drop in price, and enough homes get fitted with the system that all other power generation facilities become obsolete

[Alpha]

Herman Honef designed similiar wind turbines in 1932 ( http://www.ifb.uni-stuttgart.de/~doe...denergie1.html , http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~matthias...chung_hey.html ).

[valdano7007]

Take a look at Chad Oppenheim's new building to be built in Miami. The idea is to reduce power consumption for the city, by providing wind power from turbines lcated at the roof. Very interesting and sleek proposal.

http://www.inhabitat.com/2006/12/11/...-cor-building/

[oracle]

How would these small turbines work since they are attached to the facade?? The wind would hit the wall when passing them, so that wouldn t work at all.

What WOULD work is a building shaped in a way that redirects the airflow to a wind turbine....maybe it s a tall VAWT (vert axis wind turbine) located at its side.

[Aleks]

There is no facade, no glass, no condos, no offices, just a skeleton with some floors maybe. It would work if it wasn't that tall and wide. Maybe in the future it would be better.

I thought about this a while ago actually and it's a smart way of reducing wind energy footprint and add velocity to the upper turbines.

[MolsonExport]

Here is one from Qatar:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7340528.stm

[oracle]

Already being planned but using vertical axis turbines as opposed to your idea with horizontal axis turbines.

http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/

[oracle]

Each floor build offsite in factory and pieced together on site.
1 full floo assembled in 3 days.



Turbine blades between each floor