Hasta La Gadget!

Apple’s patent filings today reveal one concept outside their usual product-focused applications, detailing a method for harnessing wind power in a manner different from that employed in traditional turbines. Electricity gathered from a wind turbine would be converted to heat energy and stored in a “low-heat capacity fluid” in Apple’s patent, allowing it to be tapped on an as-needed basis whenever the wind dies down.

It all gets pretty technical, but painted in broad strokes, the system would potentially use the motion of the rotor shaft moving against a “low-heat capacity fluid” (such as ethanol or mercury, for instance) to generate heat through friction between the two surfaces. This can then be transferred from the storage fluid to a working fluid which is then boiled off to release steam. The steam powers a turbine, converting the energy to usable form.

Apple’s system differs from basic wind-power generators that are highly subject to variances in wind power, as well as systems that use batteries to store energy made through rotational energy for later use when wind isn’t actively making that much power. Instead, it is designed to make wind power available on a more “on-demand” basis, which is of significant importance for facilities requiring a constant, uninterrupted power supply. That likely explains why Apple is pursuing this kind of tech: Its massive data centers have huge power requirements, and the company has stated its commitment to harnessing wind, solar and other alternative energy sources to help keep these facilities running smoothly.

So far, Apple has been working mostly on building solar farms and biogas generators to help fulfill its energy needs at data center locations like the one it has in Maiden, NC, and competitor Google recently revealed that it has powered a data center with wind power for the first time.

In a second filing published today, Apple is back on track with its more consumer-oriented patents, this time detailing an evolution of the mouse that would bring more gesture controls to the input device. The additions would allow a mouse to detect tilting, tilt-sliding, lifting and other gestures to add additional command capabilities to the mouse’s basic clicking, movement and scrolling. It’s sort of a Wii Remote-lite, which is likely an easier control paradigm for traditional desktop computer users to adopt than anything more drastic.

This is interesting is because Apple is still showing an interest in iterating on its input device design, which still requires a lot of improvement. The Magic Mouse, while promising with its multitouch surface, is in practice a frustrating device to use. Apple traditionally hasn’t done great with mice, and it’ll be interesting to see if it can do any better while adding motion control into the mix, if this patent ever turns into a shipping product.

Wind farms simply aren’t reliable sources of steady power, which is why many rely on enormous battery systems to store excess current for times when the wind isn’t gusting enough to meet our energy demands. Problem is—the production of these batteries is itself a drain on resources. So what if, instead of lithium and metal hydride batteries, wind farms could just store energy using the same air that spins the propellers? More »

As conventional power sources such as coal and oil grow scarcer, the world is looking for viable alternatives. Oil resources, which are driving the major part of world’s economy right now, will be depleted sooner or later. And it’s about time the world started taking alternate energy sources more seriously.

While some may argue that the power generated from alternate energy sources is simply not enough, that is not true. For instance, according to a latest report from certain scientists, if the surface-level winds are harnessed to produce electric power, they alone can given an output of 400 terawatts. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: UK approves 1GW+ of offshore wind power, Airborne wind-power systems developed by NASA generates more electricity,

GE and Urban Green Energy might not be the first to install a wind-powered EV charging station, but the two may be the best prepared to take the concept to a grander scale. The partnership just installed the first Sanya Skypump just outside of Barcelona to serve corporate and government drivers with truly clean energy at levels that meet their typically heftier demands. It’s billed as one of the first properly integrated wind-powered EV chargers, and it’s undoubtedly one of the more elegant: one of UGE’s 4K wind turbine towers catches energy from the breeze above, while a GE Durastation tucked neatly at the bottom provides high-voltage charging for EV drivers undoubtedly eager to get moving once again. Don’t worry if you don’t speak enough Catalan to charge up at the initial location, either, as plans are underway to bring Skypumps to malls and universities across Australia and the US before 2012 is over. The only catch is the frown you’ll likely get if you try to plug in a personal car for a top-up — let’s hope the attention swings towards completely green power sources for commuters in the near future.

Continue reading GE, Urban Green Energy set up first integrated, wind-powered EV charging station (video)

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GE, Urban Green Energy set up first integrated, wind-powered EV charging station (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Land-based tower wind turbines are pretty much the gold standard of wind power today. But the engineers from NASA are working on an ingenious alternative – airborne wind-power systems. NASA is focusing on two aspects of the technology – one is the set of turbines built into the kite, which generates electricity, and the other is the ground-based generator that is tethered to the kite and is powered by the kite’s reeling motion as it catches the wind. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Wind turbines to power BMW factory, Tang wind-powered catamaran,