As solar power is harnessed with the help of tiny solar cells, it seems like wind power could be harvested using nano-scaled wind turbines. A Mexican designer named Agusting Otegui has came up with the Nano Vent-Skin which is a state of the art green wall.
This concept wall consists of “different kinds of micro organisms that work together to absorb and transform natural energy from the environment”. It seems like these bio-engineered organisms can convert sunlight and wind power into renewable energy and they can absorb CO2 from the air.
The Nano Vent-Skin transforms the light coming from the sun using an organic photovoltaic layer then it sends the energy to nano-fibers through nano-wires where finally is stored at the end of each panel. Carbon-dioxide is absorbed from the environment as the wind passes through the inner skin of each wind turbine.
Nano Vent-Skin is a zero emission material as it uses only what it needs and is also very efficient thanks to those “micro-organisms that have not been genetically altered”. Hopefully, many buildings and structures will be covered in the Nano Vent-Skin to provide that renewable energy that should eliminate our dependence on oil.
Agustin Otegui via Nano Vent-Skin
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June 19th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
This is just techy jargon (nano-,bio- prefixes..) with NO feasibility or efficiency proof. This guy is just a designer: he renders his ideas in pretty 3d and even tries to fake strain simulations, but this simply doesn’t mean that this can actually work! this is BAD SCIENCE and ACRITICAL HYPE, to say the least.
I’m an MSc engineering student and these things piss me off, to put it simply.
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leahnewyork reply on August 14, 2008 3:34 pm:
/start rant. As a concept, I like the small-scale components but dislike the large-scale, view-ruining size of the overall structure. Personally, I loathe the look of the large turbines and the turbine farms that are now beginning to pierce the beautiful rural views around the world. I want small-scale turbines in my backyard, on my rooftop, by the roads. Not big ones. I don’t want the big ones in ANYONE’s backyard. I do not want to see huge turbine farms anywhere. They are already antique as a concept. They are a product of a conquering mentality. Please, boys. Back off and put your weapons down. Consider smaller toys. As usual, the big business folks (who’re still not usually green in any way) are at the vanguard of the current wind-farm-sprouting movement, thanks to a profligate advance of public funds and: a failure of vision - the absence of public knowledge and will - a failure of public relations about threats and options - urbanites’ non-understanding of open space - engineering and design (though there are so many good ideas and prototypes out there, none have gained momentum against the big turbines) - business/industry - government. The human race can now look forward to massive turbines rotting in the sky all over the world, in the most beautiful open places of the world, along with increased fuel waste etc., etc. The appreciation of open space will continue to erode. Frustratingly for me, there are possible solutions in the “small is beautiful” domain. The technology exists to aggregate lots of small things to create something powerful, albeit distributed. I wish, I wish… / end of rant, for today.
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