Vortex – Bladeless Wind Generator
There are turbines that resemble trees, and turbines that resemble donuts, and now there are turbines that resemble… sticks. A Spanish company has designed tall, narrow pillars that generate vortexes around their circumference, bending the structures back and forth. As the pillars oscillate, embedded magnets convert the movement to electricity. The Verge points out that the towers capture 30% less power than a similarly-sized bladed turbine, but the lack of moving parts and gears vastly simplifies their construction and maintenance costs.