In the race to transition to all-electric powertrains, the question of where the electricity will come from is often pushed aside, leading to fears that the supposedly clean EVs of the future will in fact rely on carbon-producing fossil fuel power stations when it comes time to plug in at a charging station. To that end, new and innovative renewable energy solutions are needed to ensure the EV transition has a positive impact on emissions. Now, a new hybrid power generation system that utilizes both wind and solar energy will make its debut at the 2023 Detroit Auto Show.
Framed as the world’s only hybrid power station, the Wind and Solar Tower incorporates a vertical axis wind turbine capable of utilizing wind from any direction, which is paired with a rotating, circular solar panel. This combo is capable of providing energy in a variety of weather conditions, and is not required to be connected to the broader energy grid, making it a good choice for remote areas. In addition, the solar cells are self-cleaning, upping the efficiency that much more. The new system can be integrated with an EV charging station.
A 1:18 scale model of the Wind and Solar Tower will be on display at the 2023 North American International Auto Show (better known as the Detroit Auto Show) in conjunction with the Plug and Play Startup Arena at Automobili-D. According to the company that developed the Wind and Solar Tower, a full-sized tower was built and operated for five years, supposedly surviving two hurricanes during that time. The combination of solar and wind power generation can provide 252 kilowatts, serving as a charging station with Level 4 capabilities at 380 kilowatts and 1,000 volts. The charging station can also include up to a megawatt of battery storage.
“With present federal rules calling for a high level of EV sales, it’s obvious we simply don’t, or won’t, have the power to charge the electrics,” said the inventor of The Tower, Jim Bardia. “Without significant infrastructure changes, utilities will burn more fuel to power today’s electric plants or build more dirty plants to try to come close to generating the amount of electricity needed. Both of these are expensive, dirty and backward solutions.”
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Comments
I like it. I predict you’ll see many more innovations that produce clean energy to meet the growing demand. Eventually, we’ll be far ahead of the archaic fossil fuel days. It’ll just take time.
LOL, the Lego model is cute but the wind doesn’t always blow at night, so you park and wait for sunrise? Some parts of the Southwest have been in conservation mode during evening hours due to hot temps, no wind, and low sunlight. It’s a lose lose situation!
That is why it is capable of storing electricity to be used later.
Ever heard of the dog days of summer throughout the Midwest and South? It’s really hot and humid and still (no wind). Well the dog days don’t end at sunset, they just become the dog nights of summer, with no wind and no sunlight, which means no renewable power.
That is why it is capable of storing electricity that can be used later!
Slice, dice, and fry our feathered friends at the same time.
Anyone worried about that ‘Dangerous Pollutant’ from Coal Plants should be more concerned that Canada decided to burn down all their forests…. Anyone looking at a Canada Dry Ginger Ale Bottle can surmise that Canadian Forests are HUGE,…. before being burned down they absorbed all the man-made ‘green-house gasses’ from all of North America, and some say, they are large enough to adsorb all CO2 from man-made activities on the entire GLOBE…..
But that assumes a bit of intelligence….. Here’s a test question: What is the most important ‘Green House Gas’????
HINT: Its not CO2 plant food.
I cannot believe how many people, especially the younger generations, are brainwashed that solar and wind turbines will replace fossil fuels. Wake up people, it may be an alternative power source but it will never be the main source of power for our grid. Europe has been using lar and wind for years and is now realizing it was a big mistake to invest in solar and wind. That said, they stopped investing and building turbines and solar and are going back to fossil fuels. Nuclear power is the only feasible, cost-effective, and clean solution we have today yet no one wants to build nuclear plants citing safety concerns. As Bob mentioned above our forests are natures way of filtering and controlling C02 yet we continue to destroy our forests. This mandate for EVs, wind, solar and battery power is all about power, control and financial gain for the elites not saving the planet or the people.
Nuclear is always an option, but you have to take the good with the bad. Fossil fuels will run out sooner or later. So it doesn’t hurt to start looking at options. You can’t wake up one day when the lights are off and say “What are we going to do now?”
Solar and wind are just the easy options. Add in some type of grid storage and it helps. It helps the fossil fuels we have last longer or less need for more Nuclear. Imagine if every new house over $500k required solar roof tiles. It would add little to the cost of the house, but it would help offset the energy needs of that house.
Well “Fossil Fuels” – for instance Natural Gas – is an interesting construct that is real Brain Washing.
Titan, a large moon of Saturn, has , at current consumption rates, has 5,000 years of LNG just sitting around in open lakes. NO ONE bothers to ask the question where did all the Fossils come from to make this fuel, if indeed the brain-washing was true. It takes a leap of faith to believe there ever were any ‘fossil fuels’ however it DOES NOT take much imagination to think that if Titan has this much just laying around, that TITAN probably also has a bit more underground.
Now, being earth bound – that is the primary concern here – at current coal consumption rates (which are pretty high seeing as the coal usage in 2022 set a world record, and, incidentally, 2023 will set another record in coal consumption) there is a 250 year supply in the US , and a 5,000 year supply in the UK just to mention 2 countries.
Please Excuse me if I do not see the extreme urgency here…There may be a slight issue centuries from now, but I assume smarter minds will address it at a time which is apropos.
I know.
Says the article; ‘it can provide 252KW per day’, per hour, per what amount of time. 1 MW of storage would only power ten 100KW battery backs. 252kw would only charge 2.5 100KW packs. How fast are the chargers? are they 10KW/hr, or something else? There are a whole lot of details missing to provide context if this is a viable charging station, or just another pretty front for more coal fired recharge stations camouflaged to make the 20-something happy about being green.
I like this type of thinking and use of as many renewables as possible.. However, I dont think this is the most functional design. That wind turbine is going to cast a huge shadow on the solar.
Maybe if they would swap the turbine to be below the solar that would make more sense.
It should be a flexible either or situation. Have a lot of sun but no wind? Use solar. A lot of wind but not sun? Use the turbine.
Everyone who is against this type of thing: The future of energy is going to be democratization of all sorts of power creation. There is no one size fits all solution as a lot of it depends on your local geography and what is available and makes sense. The tech is getting better and cheaper. Solar is now the cheapest form of new energy creation.
Interesting concept. But they never mention the price, probably at least $250,000 plus installation. And the city would most likely never allow you to build one in front of your house. With the energy savings you could probably pay it off in 100 years.
The cleanest of all the dirty fossil fuels is natural gas and it will be around for many years to come. Coal will go by the wayside in North America but not in China. Small scale nuclear is being talked about but has not become a reality. The small wind turbine/solar set up has possibilities but the axial turbine will have to be high enough to capture the wind. I’m looking forward to learning more about this concept.