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Hurricane Specific Wind Turbine

Fight the effects of strong wind with the effects of strong wind
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During a recent trip to Florida I was somewhat trapped in a bar while a short but robust storm blew through. Talking to some natives, the conversation inevitably ran toward "Oh, you think this is bad? you should have been here for Hurricane Penelope/Sandy/Andy... I forget, anyhow, we lost power as usual, and they were handing out rations of ice you see, because then you can keep a cooler...".

The consensus was that power goes out a lot in big storms, so what do we have to work with? Wind, lots of it. Conventional wind turbines are optimized for normal wind, 10-40mph or so. Such devices would be mangled by hurricane force winds gusting over 100mph. However, there are wind turbines built for relatively extreme speeds. An example is the Ram Air Turbine (RAT) fitted to most modern jet liners. Should an aircraft lose all power, the RAT pops out of the fuselage and uses airspeed to generate electricity and hydraulic pressure sufficient to provide basic control of the aircraft. These are optimized to the 100-400knot airspeed range.

Lets use that as inspiration for a high-speed wind turbine. So, the blades will be between a RAT <link> and a standard wind turbine to take advantage/stand up to hurricane force winds. This can then be mounted on an extremely robust pole. Here it will do essentially nothing for the majority of the time. Except, when the next hurricane arrives. Now, basking in ideal wind speeds, the turbine comes into it's own. The pole will have a nicely insulated power outlet (throw in a cubby hole with a few USB outlets while we're at it) mounted a few feet above the ground to mitigate any flooding effects. Even better, it should have a sealed extension cable that can then be run into the house so we can run a few select items, probably the refrigerator as a priority.

bs0u0155, Feb 12 2024

Ram Air Turbine https://upload.wiki...285559714268%29.jpg
[bs0u0155, Feb 12 2024]

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       The self-luffing wind turbine would fold itself up during a storm to avoid damage. Then it could be unfolded again afterwards to resume its function. The unfolding process would need a team of people and possibly a capstan.   

       For more general grid resilience, you want interconnected microgrids backed by "reverse-rusting" iron batteries, which are in principle, much cheaper than lithium ones.
pertinax, Feb 12 2024
  

       I see major residential wind systems' pylons being dropped on the ground in preparation for a major blow. But nothing withstands continuous Cat 4-5 wind whether it's vertical or laying down. You can't feather to compensate, either. I am less concerned with electric service during the storms, as I huddle in the strong place and peek out on the lee side from time to time. After it subsides there is a veritable symphony of generators to keep the ice cream frozen. Let the glamping begin.   

       I'll mount a RAT high on an outside wall and if my place gets picked up and thrown around, I know I'll have power as long as I'm moving at better than 100mph. I'll actually have more power if I'm sailing around at over 200. You can only hope for the best!
minoradjustments, Feb 12 2024
  

       //dropped on the ground//   

       Maybe they need some kind of slit trench, which could be created at installation time. You'd lower the main support to the ground, detach the blades, then pack the whole lot into the trench.
pertinax, Feb 13 2024
  


 

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