OMG, Energy Harvesting Trees ????? ! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Mr Simpleton
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 08:33:27 pm
content: WTF... energy harvesting trees??What next? Dynamos on bicycles?

author: Siwastaja
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 09:10:27 pm
content: And I'm paying for this bullshit

author: MyElectronsFellOut
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 09:18:52 pm
content: If thing is in the house and not going do well sat out in the rain, then;1. What vibrations.. unless you sit it next to a fan..2. Very tiny temperature changes inside the house (usually)3. Get some solar lamps, put them in the garden and wire them up to a battery pack. Use the lights if you want...

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 10:46:34 pm
content: Hmm, trees that extract energy from the sun. Last time I looked through the window they did not cost $1 million each and did not required massive semiconductor plant...

author: xygor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 11:02:25 pm
content: And another...http://www.goodshomedesign.com/artificial-wind-tree-uses-micro-turbine-leaves-to-generate-electricity/

author: void_error
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 01:12:37 am
content: These two are probably made for those [insert description] who oppose regular solar panels / wind turbines because "it ruins the view".

author: eneuro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 01:05:48 pm
content: Quote from: xygor on March 11, 2015, 11:02:25 pmUnfortunatelly, this what they build doesn't look like a nice treeThose artificial connections looks really bad-classic welding could create much better connections, but probably they wanted this thing to sell in pices, so DIY version could be much better, but those crappy small windturbines will be frozen at winter with ice and snow, so it could look not so bad in the garden if we avoided those bloody screws which makes it rather hydraulic system, but a treeAnyway, helical Savonius type wind turbine is must to have in my new facility, and as you can see It can look really well if designer has some art skillsHelical Savonius 6m-10m high like above (with better aeorynamics) could output a lot of power and many crappy phones could be charged if needed.Hopefully, I believe in that it can be done much simppier and that is why I want build much better looking Savonius type wind turbine with a litttle bit more art, while nobody wants on his yard nasty (modern?) things, but be as close to the nature than possible to do not destroy its beauty

author: max_torque
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 07:19:47 pm
content: So, that "tree" which seems to have about 10,00 moving parts, only generates 3kW. Wow, great design. How much does it cost?(bearing mind a kWHr of electricity currently is worth just £0.12 in the uk)

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 07:43:08 pm
content: Maybe they will invent the cloth dryer which uses wind and solar energy to dry clothes.Or that banging rocks together will create different shaped rocks. And add bluetooth to the rock.

author: eneuro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 07:46:36 pm
content: Quote from: max_torque on March 12, 2015, 07:19:47 pmHow do you think, how much 1kW of electricity is worth there?BTW: Desert is not the only place on earth where there is no electricity unless you have your own made @ home

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 08:11:40 pm
content: this section is meant for serious design and technical stuff, not the fucking myth! any myth please post in general section which is in my ignore list, i dont wanna waste my time ticking and click mark as read this type of fucking nonsense.

author: voja
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 11:38:52 pm
content: We have some "inventor" which used the water tap pressure to drive dinamo and generate electricity! He was introduced as genius on TV and newspaper for weeks. He will solve all energy problems!Very clever, if you don't mind that some pump has to work somewhere to produce that pressure. Using electric power, of course.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2015, 11:43:59 pm
content: Every tree is naturally an energy harvesting device. I know since they are heating my house.

author: max_torque
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 11:51:50 am
content: Quote from: eneuro on March 12, 2015, 07:46:36 pmIt doesn't matter(how much the cost is).It will still be cheaper per unit of electricity produced to install a conventional single axis/ single disc Wind turbine, and hence that is what will be used.That is the difference between a "great invention" and a "commercial success". Great inventions are easy, because they ,generally speaking, pay no attention to all the numerous external stimuli that actually effect the end product, the most important of which is basic economics. Like the ridiculous "solar roadways" fiasco, having a "good" idea is simply not enough. The idea must be commercially viable and make economic sense. No matter how "good" your idea, no one on this planet will spend more money than they have to to achieve some aim.

author: dfmischler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 01:44:22 pm
content: Quote from: max_torque on March 13, 2015, 11:51:50 amI must disagree. Anything that doesn't work in the real world (due to economics, or the 2nd law of thermodynamics) cannot possibly be a great invention.

author: DanielS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 03:55:30 pm
content: Quote from: dfmischler on March 13, 2015, 01:44:22 pmThere are many great inventions and discoveries that ultimately fail due to nobody figuring out how to make them commercially viable. At least not yet.For example, carbon nanotubes look like they could potentially revolutionize just about everything but scientists are having a hard time figuring out how to produce them in a consistent cost-effective manner. Getting the tubes to line up and attach the right way for specific applications is also proving quite challenging. Will nanotube-based semiconductors with atomic-scale transistors become commercially viable some day? For now, they seem unlikely to leave labs any time soon. Billions of dollars more will get sunk in nanotube research before we get definitive answers.

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 06:06:00 pm
content: Quote from: dfmischler on March 13, 2015, 01:44:22 pmI would say that quality of invention and implementation/usefulness of invention are completely different things. With this in mind, inventions are easier ("invent something new") when economic impact of invention is not taken into account ("invent something newandmake it cheaper than current solution, make it produce-able (DFM), etc."). Invention has to be both good in itself and have relevance to environment/time period to be successful in economic sense.Case in point - almost all electronic inventions in 20th century wereincremental in natureand related to technology/economics of invention period (with some error margin). If transistor was invented and understood in middle ages, it would be a complete fail in terms of economic impact and general/special usage areas in that period (no way to manufacture it in quantity, problems with precision manufacturing, no real usage for advanced or simple electronics made from transistors, etc.).Another example - there were many competing technologies were few major firms pushed their own technology. If one firm had made an invention and gone to market few years earlier, other firm would not have any ability to compete (even if invention was of similar or better quality).

author: kezat
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 13, 2015, 06:14:36 pm
content: Just like the solar roads project, less power per dollar, more expensive and more complex then the current alternatives.