Unfortunately, climate change is no longer a distant issue that we can continue to ignore until a later date. The consequences are already here, and we must act now if we are to navigate our way to a cleaner, more sustainable future.
With rising CO2 levels, record heat recordings, and melting arctic ice, governments worldwide are enacting environmental regulations to push companies into rethinking their energy expenditure and paying closer attention to their carbon emissions.
At the same time, forward-thinking enterprises are developing innovative alternative energy solutions to fulfill the enormous demands of our energy consumption requirements without the need for burning fossil fuels and causing harm to the planet. One such company that is leading the way in the wind energy industry is Sirocco Wind Turbines, with their new and innovative linear wind generator specifically built for urban energy production.
Sirocco Energy Wind Turbines
Launched in 2016 with the intention to make renewable energy mainstream for urban and suburban areas, Sirocco Energy Wind Turbines is an innovative startup bringing a much-needed breath of fresh air to the renewables industry.
Even though there are already various solutions out there, Sirocco believes that their product answers many of the long-standing issues with renewables. Let’s take solar energy, for example. Solar panels may work in an urban setting, but they have significant limitations and can only produce a sufficient amount of energy when there is sunlight.
This means the practicality of using a solar panel to power your home (or business) largely depends on your geographical location and how much sunlight you receive. Furthermore, solar panels produce less energy in the night (for obvious reasons), and these are generally the times when energy consumption is at its highest.
What’s the problem with traditional wind turbines?
So, why can’t villages, towns, and cities make use of the massive traditional wind turbines that most people are familiar with? Well, the reason they haven’t caught on as a practical solution to our urban energy problems is that they:
- Are very expensive to install
- Require a lot of space
- Produce vibration and infrasound, causing noise and aesthetic pollution
- Are dangerous in densely populated areas
Moreover, the land space in urban and suburban areas tends to be more expensive, so installing large wind turbines is not economically viable in most locations. With that said, let’s take a look at some of the main value proposition of Sirocco’s innovative wind generator:
Installation near the final consumption point
One of the main issues Sirocco is trying to solve is the loss of energy that is incurred when energy is transmitted from one source to another. In general, the further away the energy source is from the consumer, the more energy is lost in the process. It’s estimated that around 6% – 2% is lost in transmission and 4% in distribution. That’s a lot of wasted energy.
Now, after years of dedication and going through countless iterations of their product, Sirocco Wind Turbines finally produced a truly disruptive solution for the renewable energy industry that looks to bring a practical, pragmatic solution directly to consumers’ homes.
Because the turbine can be installed at the point of consumption, the energy loss incurred via transmission is negligible. This means less waste and less reliance on unsustainable sources of energy.
Innovating design based on nature
What’s better than a renewable energy source that’s based on the beauty of mother nature herself? Well, Sirocco’s wind turbines have a blade profile that incorporates a wing-like design, which means the blades are similar in appearance to that of a bird’s feathers.
Furthermore, unlike typical generators, Sirocco wind turbines aren’t rotational. Instead, they have a linear motion which is exactly how a bird’s wings move while flying. Not only is this more aesthetic, but it also helped the team achieve exceptional results with the generator’s aerodynamic efficiency.
Minimal noise pollution
One of the primary issues of traditional wind turbines is how loud they are. The sound level typically given by one is around 96-101 dB, which is about the same as an approaching subway train or packed-out football stadium. Additionally, large turbines create something called infrasound, sound waves with frequencies below the lower limit of human audibility. Studies show long exposure to these can cause various unwanted effects, which is why many people object to having them installed in urban areas.
On the other hand, Sirocco Wind Turbines only produce around 41 dB of sound, about the same as a standard refrigerator, and they do not give off any infrasound. This makes them a perfect candidate for urban and suburban settings, even in densely populated neighborhoods.
Low vibrations
Another issue with wind turbines is the amount of vibration they emit. Of course, nobody wants to have their home constantly vibrating as the turbines spin nearby. Siroccos uses four or five small generators instead of one large one to mitigate this effect, which causes less vibration at higher frequencies. Additionally, the generators are unsynchronized, so their vibration partly compensates for one other, preventing resonances.
Improved efficiency
Sirocco’s wind turbines have an aerodynamic efficiency of up to 50%, which is a vast improvement from the standard of 35%. When you consider the theoretical maximum efficiency of a wind turbine is said to be 59%, it seems that Sirocco has done an excellent job of harnessing the wind’s power.
The efficiency of the turbine is largely thanks to the fact that all of the blades move at the same speed and experience the same amount of wind simultaneously. Since linear motion does not produce the same amount of turbulence as rotating motion, energy production efficiency is improved.
Final word
The revolutionary design of the Sirocco Wind Turbine will potentially have enormous ramifications for the wind energy industry. Their innovative product solves many of the industry’s long-standing issues, such as energy loss during transmission, low-efficiency rates, noise pollution, and high vibrations.
Thanks to its innovative, nature-inspired design, Sirocco’s wind generators will likely enjoy a wide variety of use cases with both residential consumers and businesses. For the first time in a long time, harnessing the urban wind has become a viable option for ever-increasing energy requirements.
