Are Humpback Whales the key to a greater reliance on wind generated energy? To a greener future?
Whalepower seems to think so. Dr. Frank E. Fish (no, this is not a late April Fools joke) started investigating the purpose of tubercles on the front end of humpback whale fins after noticing them on a whale statue in a gift shop. Seems that nature was on to something as these "bumps" are showing significantly improved efficiency over the standard smooth wing shape. Early wind tunnel testing at Duke University showed promising results.
The sleek flipper performance was similar to a typical airplane wing. But the tubercle flipper exhibited nearly 8 percent better lift properties, and withstood stall at a 40 percent steeper wind angle. The team was particularly surprised to discover that the flipper with tubercles produced as much as 32 percent lower drag than the sleek flipper.
In that 2004 article something is noticeably missing: any reference to wind based power generation. Perhaps it was on the radar, but the early focus appeared to be looking toward aero and marine applications - which is also great because improved efficiencies in these areas mean less fuel consumption.
Cut to a few years later and we see an expanded vision - one which includes the formation of the aforementioned WhalePower and focuses on the value of these efficient wings in harnessing more wind energy. From an article in the Toronto Star about a year ago.
...WhalePower blades would be capable of capturing energy where the wind is less strong, as conventional turbines tend to stall when wind speeds fall too low. Not only would this improve the business case for individual wind farms, it broadens the natural geography suitable for large-scale wind generation.
And now it's moving even further along the development path as we find out from a recent (about two weeks ago) Gizmag article.
Currently Tubercle Technology is being licensed to manufacturers like Canada's Envira-North who will bring out the first big fans (24 feet in diameter) in April this year [2008]. Definitive R&D testing at the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (WEICan) is also about to take place...
I won't go as far as saying that this IS a technology that can help drag Virginia away from its coal based energy generation. Wind power hasn't been high in our local energy plan for a number of reasons, but certainly new developments like this could open doors. Its possible that what Virginia gives up in terms of wind availability could be made up for by drastic improvements in wind harnessing efficiency like this. So why don't we take a serious look at this nature inspired technological advance here in Virginia? I don't know if whales are a key to Virginia's energy future, but I do know this: if we don't take a look into it this advance in wind power generation it will not be part of our foreseeable energy future.
Our entire environment is setup to incentivize and reward Dominion's behavior. The re-regulation bill had this coal plant in it and it specifically provides a boat load of rewards for building it. The re-regulation bill was passed overwhelmingly by both Democrats and Republicans in both houses. Society incentivizes it by failing to conserve or even be more efficient in our use of electricity and by demanding that power plants be far away from us, the end users. And society incentivizes the behavior most of all by not paying attention and not caring.
I see only two paths to change here: either the price of coal goes so high forcing people to alternatives, or people start experiencing the harsher effects of global warming on a personal level (like Alexandria under water most of the year). Otherwise, I see a coal-fired power plant in Wise County and the customers in Hampton Roads and NoVA who will use that power not caring one way or the other. I see Governor Kaine, interested in his political future, not pissing Dominion off. And I see the General Assembly doing absolutely nothing because this is not a major constituent concern, like traffic congestion.
As for the technology, the question is whether this improved efficiency would allow Virginia to harness more power from wind. I assume the wind maps you speak of show that wind energy under current turbine designs wouldn't work well. But how much would a more efficient whale based turbine design change that equation?
On the innovation, I think you still have to deal with land use issues. You may be able to put them further inland or even in the mountains; but you still have to deal with folks not wanting to see them obscure their view. The only caveat to that would be if we are talking about an area that does not have economic and/or political clout (but the two usually go hand-in-hand).
You want reliable wind power generation? Try bovine flatulence methane. It makes just as much sense.