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Regulars
Monster Machines: How To Inspect Windmill Blades Without Leaving The Ground
Getting to the top of a wind turbine is no small feat — akin to summiting the Washington Monument — and even more difficult when the wind farm is at sea. So rather than force human inspectors to make the perilous climb, Helical Robotics has developed a magnetic turtle to do it for us.
Monster Machines: World’s Biggest Wind Turbine Is As Broad As An Airbus 380
The first commercial offshore wind turbine that Siemens created 30 years ago had 5m long blades and produced a paltry 30kW. A lot can change over three decades. The company’s newest offshore model isn’t just the biggest in the sea; it’s the biggest anywhere.
Monster Machines: New Battery Uses Air To Store Excess Wind Power
Wind farms simply aren’t reliable sources of steady power, which is why many rely on enormous battery systems to store excess current for times when the wind isn’t gusting enough to meet our energy demands. But the production of these batteries is itself a drain on resources. So what if — instead of lithium and metal hydride batteries — wind farms could just store energy using the same air that spins the propellers?
Monster Machines: Behold The World’s Only Category 5 Hurricane Simulator
When Hurricane Andrew rolled ashore in South Florida back in 1992, it destroyed $US27 billion worth of property. The storm was the third most destructive to ever hit the US, an outcome due in part to the insufficient building codes of the time. Structures simply weren’t built to withstand the storm’s fury. These days, Florida ensures that new construction can stand up to the next Andrew by torture-testing building materials against a massive Wall of Wind.
Tiny Rooftop Turbine Could Make Urban Wind Farms A Reality
There’s a reason that wind farms are placed offshore rather than in urban areas — the turbines are typically huge, difficult to erect, and need a solid sustained gust to produce any meaningful amount of current. This prototype, on the other hand, will assemble more easily than an Ikea bookshelf and quietly produce kilowatts atop skyscrapers.
No One Would Complain If All Wind Turbines Looked This Beautiful
We’ve yet to discover a perfect source of clean energy, and while wind turbines come close, many people still consider them to be an eyesore. But we don’t think anyone would complain if they all featured the beautiful spinning helix design of the Hercules turbine.
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