Airloom Energy - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2024, 03:55:39 am
content: https://airloomenergy.com/Claims:- Less than 1/10 the cost of a turbine- Under 1/4 the cost to build a windfarm- 1/3 the LCOE compared to traditional wind energy- Can be built vertically or horizontally, either onshore or offshore- Easy to transport: a 2.5 MW Airloom fits inside a standard tractor trailer- Better for viewplanes: less mass, lower profile- Quickly manufactured: uses readily sourced materials and partsI haven't looked into, so haven't put in the Dodgy Technology section yet, but knock yourself out.Quote

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2024, 04:01:56 am
content: It's gotten the Matt Ferrell kiss of death:

author: WillTurner
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2024, 05:05:50 am
content: I have doubts about any wind machine that is not horizontal axis (HAWT).

author: HarryDoPECC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2024, 01:38:06 am
content: Promoter is a finance bro and real estate salesman.Despite no training in engineering or education in laws of physics, he thinks he can invent a new energy source that deliberately operates at heights where available wind energy is least.And then the “cocktail napkin” origin story, lovely touch for the future “investors”.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2024, 04:17:11 am
content: Cost estimates comparing established technology to something that only exists on a cocktail napkin are worth less than the paper they are drawn on.Other than that, their systems seems like it must be strictly inferior to a bunch of wind turbines with 30 m hub height and 10 m blades. Like it basically is a farm of small wind turbines with an extra roller coaster rail tacked on for... some reason.Small wind turbines like that would be a lot easier to manufacture, transport around, and install, too compared to the 100 m behemoths we are now. The reason we don't do that so much is that taller ones can access more, stronger, steadier wind that more than makes up for the extra cost.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2024, 09:30:08 am
content: It looks remarkably similar to this hydropower generator design...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/unusual-design-of-a-free-flow-hydropower-station/

author: MarkT
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2024, 12:08:46 am
content: Clearly its too flimsy and will fall apart, there's so little stiffness in the system that aerodynamic flutter is surely going to wreck it just like Tacoma Narrows - a single track in the middle of the aerofoils? Wind is gusty, especially near the ground, so I expect rapid failure on windy days from this weak point of mounting to the track.The giveaway is the talk of testing each component separately - that's never the hard part!And so much friction in a track too.Can the aerofoils be feathered to avoid damage in extreme wind conditions? How do you stop it for maintanence?What mechanism can transfer the track power to generators whilst open to the elements and not wear out rapidly? One mild duststorm and its game over.I'm calling this one out as doomed.