James Dyson Award national UK winner 2018 is O-Wind. O-Wind has redesigned the wind turbine creating an omnidirectional, single axis turbine that takes advantage of horizontal and vertical winds, without requiring steering. It has the potential to be used in urban environments to generate sustainable electricity.
source: / image(PrtSc): jamesdysonaward
The turbine is of a spherical shape with a single axis of rotation going through it. Its dimensions and shape mean that it is very suitable for small-scale energy production by individual apartment dwellers e.g. by being fixed outside balconies. The turbine makes use of Bernoulli’s principle for its mechanical motion./read more: jamesdysonaward
The structure is lined up with vents which have large entrances and smaller exits for air. In the presence of wind, there is a pressure difference between the two terminals causing the turbine to move. The vents are placed all across the sphere making it receptive to wind from all directions in both the vertical and horizontal planes.
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The turbine will rotate in the same sense about a fixed axis regardless of wind direction. This turbine rotation is used to power a generator that can produce electricity, which can be fed into the national grid, hence providing financial incentive to users and improving the region’s sustainable energy production.via: jamesdysonaward
