Wind Turbine Tech Inspired by Owl Feathers and Maple Seeds

Innovation: Industry

Biome Renewables

Image: Adam King / Unsplash / Public Domain - No restrictions

Move in/Through Gases

Living systems must move through gases (which are less dense than liquids and solids) such as those in the earth’s atmosphere. The greatest challenge of moving in gases is that because the living system is heavier than the gas, it must overcome the force of gravity. Moving efficiently in this light medium presents unique challenges and opportunities for living systems. As a result, they have evolved countless solutions to optimize drag and increase lift so that they can stay aloft and take advantage of variable currents. Additionally, they must overcome gravity when moving from a liquid or solid into the air. The fairyfly, the smallest known insect, is a tiny wasp that must move through the air. To the wasp, air feels like a heavy liquid and to move through it, it uses special feathery oars rather than wings.

Search this Function

Manage Turbulence

A turbulent force occurs when air or water creates a chaotic or irregular motion. The source can be such things as wind, waves, and eddies caused by obstructions to air or water flow (such as that created by a rock in a stream). Because the force is irregular, it acts in unpredictable ways on multiple parts of a living system at any given time, decreasing the living system’s efficiency. Strategies used to manage turbulence include dampening the amount of turbulence, having flexibility to handle sudden changes, and making quick adjustments. An example is the mucus on aquatic organisms, such as barracuda sharks, that can reduce turbulent friction of seawater by 66%. In doing so, it decreases drag and increases the sharks’ swimming efficiency.

Search this Function

Biome Renewables adjusts the aeroacoustics of existing turbine blades to decrease turbulence and increase efficiency.

Benefits

Noise reduction
Decreased turbulence
Increased efficiency
Increased energy conversion

Applications

Wind turbines
Propellers
Aircraft wings

UN Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Goal 7: Affordable & Clean Energy
Goal 9: Industry Innovation & Infrastructure
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

The Challenge

Wind turbines generate electrical power at vast scales, without the release of greenhouse gasses, but being very large, even small defects in their design can carry significant costs in efficiency.

Innovation Details

Biome Renewables designed their serrated “FeatherEdge” technology for the outer portion of a turbine blade. As air rushes around the blades at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, some of it curls down into the space between long, serrated teeth, generating one sound wave, and some of it curls down at the tips of the teeth, generating a second sound wave a moment later. The troughs of the first sound wave align with the peaks of the second, and cancel each other out.

Wind tunnel tests have shown that the technology can reduce noise levels by 50 to 80 percent. That reduction of noise and turbulence behind the blade allows the turbine to spin slightly faster in wind of the same speed, generating more power.

Biome Renewables also turned to whirling maple seeds for inspiration. Spinning blades create suction that pulls air into the middle area where the blades meet. These currents can’t be captured by the blades and are effectively wasted. To capture that extra power, the company designed the “PowerCone,” a device that fits onto the turbine’s center and smoothly channels the air back onto the blades–a trick they learned from a falling maple seed. This gives the turbines added torque, which increases their efficiency and electricity-generating ability.

Biological Model

An owl’s wing is legendary for its silence. The feathers along the trailing edge of the wings feature a specialized fringe that forces air to mix at specific locations, muffling the sound of air flowing around them. This allows owls to fly silently and soar efficiently to catch prey.

See Related Strategy

Biological Strategy

Wing Feathers Enable Near-Silent Flight

Owl

Specialized feathers of the owl enable near-silent flight by altering air turbulence and absorbing noise.

The lopsided weight of a maple seed causes it to spin at a particular angle, which redirects the wind along the seed’s slender length, accelerating flow towards the tip. This causes the seeds to swirl around a central point, allowing them to remain aloft longer, so they can be carried farther away by the wind.

See Related Strategy

Biological Strategy

Tornado-like Spinning Increases Seed Dispersion

Japanese maple

The leading edge of the tornado-like spinning maple seed provides a constant lift force, allowing seeds to disperse over a greater area.

Ray of Hope Prize®

The Ray of Hope Prize celebrates nature-inspired solutions addressing the world’s biggest environmental and sustainability challenges. Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize helps startups cross a critical threshold in becoming viable businesses by amplifying their stories and providing them with equity-free funding. The prize shines a light on the innovative, nature-inspired solutions that we need to build a sustainable and resilient world. Biome Renewables was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize.

See All Ray of Hope Prize Finalists

Sun rays filter through the forest canopy and shine upon a rocky creek

Collection

Ray of Hope Accelerator Gallery

AskNature Team

The Ray of Hope Accelerator supports nature-inspired solutions addressing the world's biggest environmental and social challenges.

AskNature