Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
A few slices short of a loaf.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: Browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

User:
Pass:
Login
Create account.


                Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.

Roof vent generator
Spinning roof vent doesn't waste energy.
  (+1, -2)
(+1, -2) 		  [vote for,
against]


In sunny regions we have a lot of spinning roof vents. Meanwhile, we are starting windmill farms and use of wind energy is growing faster than any other form of energy. Why visually pollute vast valleys with windmills if we can use the heat in our attics to spin a small "windmill" and add back electricity to the grid? Others have posted similar ideas but not this one. (There was a spinning roof vent for a car to recharge your battery)

The only downsides might be that it would take an electrician at $X per hour to hook the thing up to your circuitry, and with proper insulation, the spinners might not spin fast enough to generate enough electricity to make this worth it.

But heck, even if it could produce a tenth of your daily energy, it would pay for itself and be a profitable product.

tadwolff, May 22 2005


Short name, e.g., Bob's Coffee

Destination URL. E.g., http://www.coffee.com/

Description (displayed with the short name and URL.)







       I see so much wind going to *waste* that anything to harness this is a [+] in my book. I have always believed that if every house being built was to have a small windmill for power generation, that we could make a large impact on our insatiable lust for oil.
Klaatu, May 22 2005
   

       Right now grid tie systems are very expensive, so it would not pay to feed the grid. Your roof vents would not be able to produce a heck of a lot of electricity, but could possibly power some ultra low wattage led or florrecent lighting. If wind turbines are ugly, than there is not a sic enough word to describe fossil fueled power plants. The truth is that our abuse of energy is disgusting. NIMBYs just don't want to face the facts... Keep it cooking...
fity, May 25 2005
   

       Any energy generated from these would work to reduce the flow of exhaust air from the building. If it's natural ventilation, then the building would stay warmer on hot days (bad). If it's forced ventilation, then this will increase building pressure and make the supply fans work harder - making this at most a net wash and more likely a waste of energy.
Worldgineer, May 25 2005
   

       I fear [World] is right. Instead, why not connect it to a mirrorball in the room below?
moomintroll, May 25 2005
   

       It sounds like Worldgineer, like most engineers, has a feel for how much energy would be produced versus that amount extracted from the system. The thing I hate about traditional windmills is that they're ugly and distracting from the natural environment. Maybe I need to go work on a true windmill system that is concealed- something the neighbors wouldn't complain about. Maybe something black that fits on the roofline.
tadwolff, May 26 2005
   

       I like energy-saving ideas in general, and this one's nice.   

       Of course, it won't work. But it's nice.
sophocles, May 26 2005
   


 
back: main index
 business 
 computer 
 culture 
 fashion 
 food 
 halfbakery 
 home 
 other 
 product 
 public 
 science 
 sport 
 vehicle