If something this small and light becomes powerful enough, slap it on top of a hybrid-type car and recharge the battery as you drive. Wind power + electric car at 60MPH = Perpetual Motion!
The perpetual motion one is interesting although flawed, you could recharge a certain amount of battery power, or at any rate negate the need for extra juice to power the cars electronics.
If it was positioned well, then it could also be used to recharge batteries when stationary too.
I'm no physicist, but I'm pretty sure that, in a 100% efficient system, the power obtained from attaching this to a car would exactly equal the power lost through the added wind resistance (which would require the use of additional battery power during acceleration and maintenance of cruising speed, resulting in a net gain of 0 after you add the wind power 'gains' from coasting or coming to a stop).
I believe it could only add net power to an electric/hybrid vehicle system if it popped up during breaking and folded down during other times, resulting in no additional resistance during acceleration and maintenance of cruising speed.
It wouldn't be perpetual motion. You are getting the energy from the wind. It would be just as close to perpetual as a normal wind turbine, or a solar panel... which neither of these are perpetual...
@allenvanhellen: Guess what? Not true. The laws of physics make it so that we can't do that. Or else nothing would require any energy. No, even the most efficient system of the most efficient systems would only make 99.999999999% of the power needed. They tried to disprove that a few years ago by making a self-powered fountain that got power from a waterfall below that pushed a turbine. It worked for a few minutes, but the power given back to the fountain got smaller and smaller until there wasn't any.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mam00th @ May 13th 2008 5:07PM
Except the fact that its fugly this might be a good idea
ByronGman @ May 13th 2008 5:09PM
I dunno, its so small they might be able to design them like little pinwheels or wind chimes....
At least we are making progress from those freaking huge tri-blade towers....
Jason @ May 13th 2008 5:46PM
If something this small and light becomes powerful enough, slap it on top of a hybrid-type car and recharge the battery as you drive. Wind power + electric car at 60MPH = Perpetual Motion!
ByronGman @ May 13th 2008 5:47PM
@ Jason
No.
Josh @ May 13th 2008 5:54PM
The perpetual motion one is interesting although flawed, you could recharge a certain amount of battery power, or at any rate negate the need for extra juice to power the cars electronics.
If it was positioned well, then it could also be used to recharge batteries when stationary too.
allenvanhellen @ May 13th 2008 6:28PM
I'm no physicist, but I'm pretty sure that, in a 100% efficient system, the power obtained from attaching this to a car would exactly equal the power lost through the added wind resistance (which would require the use of additional battery power during acceleration and maintenance of cruising speed, resulting in a net gain of 0 after you add the wind power 'gains' from coasting or coming to a stop).
I believe it could only add net power to an electric/hybrid vehicle system if it popped up during breaking and folded down during other times, resulting in no additional resistance during acceleration and maintenance of cruising speed.
Aguiluz @ May 13th 2008 6:50PM
Two choices in turbines:
1. Big and few.
2. Small and many.
Small and many en-masse will be better. Besides, why build ginormous towers where you can build tons of tiny ones and get even more power?
stefan @ May 13th 2008 7:18PM
Because the ginormous ones won't break because of a grain of sand, some water or a bit of dust...
The big ones may be harder to get up and running.... but once they're there, they stay and they work for years.
egokick @ May 13th 2008 7:57PM
true, but the big ones need cleaning often, mould and other bacteria can reduce the amount of power output drastically.
tom @ May 13th 2008 9:45PM
Is he David Copperfield?
Jordan @ May 14th 2008 12:18AM
It wouldn't be perpetual motion. You are getting the energy from the wind. It would be just as close to perpetual as a normal wind turbine, or a solar panel... which neither of these are perpetual...
phoomp @ May 14th 2008 12:04PM
It's a prototype. Prototypes are always ugly.
Brad @ Jun 19th 2008 6:07PM
@allenvanhellen: Guess what? Not true. The laws of physics make it so that we can't do that. Or else nothing would require any energy. No, even the most efficient system of the most efficient systems would only make 99.999999999% of the power needed. They tried to disprove that a few years ago by making a self-powered fountain that got power from a waterfall below that pushed a turbine. It worked for a few minutes, but the power given back to the fountain got smaller and smaller until there wasn't any.