Wind Power Unlike Any Other On Horizon

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SheerWind is a Chaska, Minnesota-based start-up with a wind power generator concept that looks nothing like any wind turbine you have ever seen. The venture’s “Invelox” technology recently won the 2011 CleanTech Open’s Sustainability Award for the North Central Region. SheerWind’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Daryoush Allaei, has 25 years of research and development experience, including leading projects funded by the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy (DOE).

Interestingly, his technical expertise is not in wind power, or even renewable energy, but in systems dynamics–specifically, noise and vibration. He first developed the idea for Invelox in late 2008, while working on a proposal for a project to monitor wind turbine vibration, in response to a DOE solicitation.

“DOE wanted a technology that could monitor the vibration of the [wind turbine] blades, to help them manage wind energy more cost-effectively,” Allaei said to us in a recent interview. “When I was reviewing what they were asking for, I just thought, ‘Wow! They are trying to solve the wrong problem.’ They were asking me to go 60 to 100 feet up in the air, when what I really needed to do was bring [the cost of wind energy] down for them. I thought something had to change. So I closed my door and I sat down and thought about what else we could do that makes more sense. That’s how I came up with this idea of harvesting wind on the ground.”

image via SheerWind

The result is what to looks to be a pretty novel approach to generating wind power. Allaei’s “Invelox” technology (named for increasing velocity) looks more like a giant phonograph player than a wind turbine. Essentially, it works by capturing wind, funneling it into a tunnel to increase velocity, and channeling it into a ground-based turbine.

Allaei typically describes the system by comparing it to a hydroelectric dam:

“If you look at a hydro dam, the basic principle is to collect water and then, down below there are small openings where the water is allowed to escape. By simple physics, when you do that, the water speeds up. It is in that small opening in dams where the generator is placed. The generator is small, but it makes a very large amount of power because the water is moving very fast through that small opening. Invelox is basically an air dam that collects wind instead of water.”

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Posted on December 13th, 2011

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Posted in Renewable Energy, Wind Power

  • http://twitter.com/petedanko Pete Danko

    Some strong conceptual similarities here with the Oklahoma project we reported on a few weeks ago:http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/11/towerless-turbine-oklahoman-says-ok/

  • G-wtg

    what is the typical power output of the devices?

    • John B.

      As it states in the graphic above, 7.2 MW per tower, 10 acres/tower.u00a0 If scaled down for residential use, a free-standing unit could be practical for homes on a large plot of land (1 acre or more).u00a0 IF the proportions hold true, and assuming the technology delivers on the projected power generation (and my calculations are correct), a unit that can deliver typical residential service (200 amp service) would require about 1500 sq. ft.u00a0 I can see designing residential roofs around this design to make the home more energy self-sufficient.

  • Athena

    This design also looks like it would be more “bird-friendly”; incredibly important from both sides of looking at it…

  • Cominco

    seems like a very good concept and should work well. lookingforward to hearing more

  • http://treasurycafe.blogspot.com david k waltz

    The ability to use the power as baseload (supplemented by nat. gas) overcomes one of the major problems with renewable energies. Good luck!nn

  • Phillip Luebke

    It looks like it collects wind coming from any direction, but the output is in one direction only, at a much higher speed (15 MPH input to 60 MPH output in the illustration). What are the ramifications of that?

    • John B.

      Phillip, the velocity is increased because the (cross-sectional) area (of the flow) is decreasing.u00a0 On the output side, the process is reversed and the air slows down as the cross sectional area of the flow again increases.u00a0 To do otherwise would violate some important laws of physics.

      • John B.

        Additionally, much of that kinetic energy from the high velocity is converted into electrical energy from the turbine/gen set.u00a0 So minimal increase in cross-sectional area is needed to slow the air to 15 MPH or less.u00a0 Total conversion of the wind energy (not practical) would mean the output would consist of stagnant air that would have to be evacuated from the system somehow.

  • W_lien

    How are are rain and snow effects addressed in the design?

  • Ogdenmicro

    Concept looks great, we need an acceptable new energy idea that the public will embrace rather than complain about the bird-bats-bees-butterfield-noise.  Of course it all comes down to dollars making sense.  I like your thinking outside of the box and wish you great success in getting it developed and place in the field. 
    If you every need any installation help, feel free to call me:  Gary Ogden ogdenmicro@aol.com  DBA: Micro Service Group    I’ve also great contacts with those in other trades that can insure that it would be done in an orderly- safe manner.
    @aol:disqus 
    This is the best Alternative concept I’ve seen so far in regards to not using the blade 230ft towers.

  • Mk

    Six times better than perpetual motion devices.  Pretty cool.  And the energy to get six times the power from a wind stream comes from WHERE?   The physics of aerodynamics will show that the air will flow around something instead of through it as soon as there is a little resistance.  That is why you can only recover a very small amount of ram air ( 1 % to 5% ) from any velocity.  The 90 degree bend in the system will create a greater loss than the gain from any ram effects.  Since it is impossible to make a perpetual motion device, these people took the leap to go six times beyond that.  Just imagine if we could do that with everything.  Your car would run forever and once it started, you could turn it off and it would accelerate on its own.  The physics is thoroughly flawed with what these people say.