Technology
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Gently spinning windmills have been a cornerstone sight along the Dutch countryside since the 1890s. With the population increasing into more built-up, urbanized areas, positioning more wind-powered turbines to power busy cities could be impractical.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The Dutch Windwheel, however, is generating energy in a completely different direction.
The state-of-the-art creation is from Dutch architects Doepel Strijkers, who designed the 173-meter-high (570 foot) structure to utilize wind, water and an electric field in an electrostatic wind-energy converter that can directly produce a current for power.
To combat the issue of a giant single-purpose structure in the middle of a busy city, Doepel Strijkers have engineered this multi-purpose building to be safely habitable while it churns out 1 megawatt of electricity – enough to power 1000 average U.S. homes.
“We wanted a 100-percent-sustainable building that serves as a platform for all kinds of innovations,” developer Lennart Graaff said, speaking to Popular Science.
The self-powered tower is quiet, low-maintenance and looks like something out of a science-fiction novel.
Doepel Strijkers estimate a Dutch Windwheel could go into construction to be erected in Rotterdam by the early 2020s.
[H/T: Popular Science]
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