A new hybrid gas-wind turbine called SmartGen has been designed to work on low winds based on a system that turns the turbine with compressed air from a compressor running on biogas.
The Colorado company that introduces this concept is expecting to create wind turbines that generate electricity even when there is almost no wind.
In addition, the SmartGen hybrid can be placed on existing wind turbines, so as to increase their capacity. Therefore, the system can replace other installations used to extend the production and that work on fossil fuels.
“Large wind turbines, even in good wind resource areas, typically generate rated power only 30% of the time because the wind blows intermittently or at a low wind velocity,” according to the producer company. Using biofuels to extract more power means that the system employs the installation better, instead of having it sit in vain for much of the time.
Furthermore, the company also points out that the air exhausted from the machinery’s motor cools immediately as it is released. This may be of benefit for the cooling of the generator nacelle and may help prevent fires in the housing.
[Source: Ecogeek]
