Self-consumption is transforming the energy landscape in America, with its potential being both immense and diverse. Experts are even suggesting that it could signal the decline of large-scale oil exploration. However, the next big breakthrough could make solar panels obsolete. This innovation is the wind fence, a device you can install in your garden to generate electricity, revolutionizing how you support sustainability from your home. The best part? Its design is not only cutting-edge but also visually appealing.
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As the market for renewable power becomes a swiftly moving train, a revolutionary newcomer is about to revolutionize power generation in cities. Healthy and innovative renewable energy in the form of a ‘‘wind fence’’ has been designed by world-renowned designer Joe Doucet for Airiva.
Airiva’s wind fence is therefore a perfect example of how form and function can be one and the same. It uses vertical wind turbines with a peculiar helical structure, which makes them look somewhat like strands of DNA or Italian fusilli pasta. These turbines are about two meters high, and their slim square ‘wall segments’ can hook together to form a fence of any length.
The design process was therefore intense, Doucet and his team went through sixteen configurations of the blades before they arrived at the helical one. This shape was developed following dynamical model wind tunnel testing at the University of Washington. It becomes a dynamic and pleasing working sculpture, which is worth the construction.
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Another merit worthy of mention for Airiva’s wind fence is its appearance. In contrast to bold looking conventional wind turbines or solar panels, the Airiva system is extra-urbanistic and therefore can be easily integrated into the architectural environment. The movement of the blades is in the form of an ongoing stream of motion, which provides an aesthetic concept.
The Airiva wind fence is meant to be a system that is modular and can be increased in scale as needed. The blades are structured like a fence, and each standard unit contains eight blades. The system’s key technical specifications and performance metrics include:The system’s key technical specifications and performance metrics include:
- Height: about 14 feet (4.27 meters).
- Width: about 7 feet, or 2.13 meters.
- Annual Energy Production: 2,200 kW by standard unit.
- Peak Power Output: The nominal power of the identified prototype power supply is 10 kW for a wall with 25 vertical turbines.
- Noise Level: It runs without being extremely noisy, or making only a whirring sound as if it were rotating gently.
From early development to future plans for commercialization: A journey through Airiva wind turbines
The rudiments for Airiva’s wind fence were developed in 2021 after Joe Doucet rolled out his first concept known as the ‘Wind Turbine Wall’. The favorable response to this idea forced Doucet to bring tech industry stalwart Jeff Stone to Airiva.
Ever since the formation of this team, the design has been advanced through two years of engineering, development and testing.
Airiva is almost ready to introduce the wind fence technology that has been developed by the firm to the market. The company’s roadmap includes:
- Full-scale prototype testing: Planned for later this year to have two wall sections with four turbines each, as well as an ‘end hub’ for controls, communicators, and power.
- Customer pilots: Scheduled for the second half of the calendar year 2024.
- First commercial orders: Assumed to be swallowed in 2025.
Similarly, the company uses the desalination wind fences and aims to keep them very cheap to make them easily available. In this regard, Airiva is still in the process of sourcing partners to help in the commercialization of the product.
The Airiva wind fence could be the end of solar panels, or, rather, their perfect complement. The future will depend on inventions like this that prioritize the functional factor, combining energy efficiency with diversification. Can you imagine having solar panels together with a modern wind turbine like this one? This is precisely what the company has developed, thinking of a future in which self-consumption is the norm rather than the exception. Inventions like this make us optimistic about a future without fossil fuels.