Bladeless Windmills Mark Step Forward

These windmills take up less room, allowing for more wind-powered energy to be generated.

Everywhere you go, as long as it is the countryside, you will see the standard wind powered turbines with long blades. They have long been a symbol of beauty and power, giving farms and communities energy without leaving a carbon footprint. However, a startup technological firm from Spain has found another way to develop energy, and it doesn’t involve the blades. The company, Vortex, hopes that this will result in less waste and more wind-energy for the world.

The company claims that the energy produced by these tree trunk-looking turbines will cost about 40 percent less than energy made from wind turbines that are operating today, and it will make energy more efficiently. A large part of that cost reduction comes from the maintenance of the actual apparatus — because the Vortex doesn’t have any moving parts or gears like the traditional windmills do, it should last longer and it won’t require periodic upkeep or replacement parts. This simpler design also means that manufacturing costs are about half that of a traditional wind turbine – those massive blades cost thousands and thousands of dollars to purchase and upkeep.  With that being said, Vortex tells Wired that its bladeless design captures around 30 percent less energy than a regular turbine. They are working on trying to make them more efficient, however, and time will allow them to figure out new technology. The company does note, however, that it’s possible to fit more of the Vortex models in the same area. And, as a bonus, the bladeless turbines are silent. 

The engineers at Vortex are already working on a few different sized windmills; its “Mini” is a 41-foot model that should be ready for commercialization within the next year. A larger, industrial model is in the works for 2018.

Take a look at the video below to learn more about the new technology: