I think this is still actually legal, grandfathered-in or some such.
This is very cool.
Working in Haiti, Shawn Frayne, a 28-year-old inventor based in Mountain View, Calif., saw the need for small-scale wind power to juice LED lamps and radios in the homes of the poor. Conventional wind turbines don’t scale down well—there’s too much friction in the gearbox and other components. “With rotary power, there’s nothing out there that generates under 50 watts,†Frayne says. So he took a new tack, studying the way vibrations caused by the wind led to the collapse in 1940 of Washington’s Tacoma Narrows Bridge (aka Galloping Gertie).
Frayne’s device, which he calls a Windbelt, is a taut membrane fitted with a pair of magnets that oscillate between metal coils. Prototypes have generated 40 milliwatts in 10-mph slivers of wind, making his device 10 to 30 times as efficient as the best microturbines. Frayne envisions the Windbelt costing a few dollars and replacing kerosene lamps in Haitian homes. “Kerosene is smoky and it’s a fire hazard,†says Peter Haas, founder of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group, which helps people in developing countries to get environmentally sound access to clean water, sanitation and energy. “If Shawn’s innovation breaks, locals can fix it. If a solar panel breaks, the family is out a panel.â€
Video
Newsreel about the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse.
There wasn’t that much to see at Solar 1 during Open House New York. The most exciting exhibit was the waterless urinal. It didn’t smell and wasn’t as dirty as it could have been. The solar cells on the roof supply all the power for this shack, which provides services for Stuyvesant Cove Park. Summertime cooling is provided by the breeze off the East River and a couple of ceiling fans. Though they are on the grid for winter heating.
Solar 2 is much more ambitious and will cover most of the two acres of the park. It is described in the video below:
