Bladeless wind turbines

[gseaman]

http://www.gizmag.com/saphonian-bladeless-wind-turbine/24890/

Interesting possibilities.

Galen

[Neal ManBear]

Interesting indeed.     

[Just17]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdcmShRcyfk

[scoundrel]

looked a bit scary to me.. it wiggles around like crazy ?

[Just17]

looked a bit scary to me.. it wiggles around like crazy ?

Appears to ........  but less scary than being close to large blades on the existing wind generators 

[bicol_willem]

I cannot imagine anything about the working (if so) of these things. Totally unclear to me (still).

[Just17]

I cannot imagine anything about the working (if so) of these things. Totally unclear to me (still).

It seems that the physical movement of the 'dish' under wind pressure is converted to mechanical movement to operate pistons which are used to pressurise hydraulic fluid ......  thus storing the energy, or using it to generate electricity ...........  or something along those lines 

[joechimp]

Less intrusive to the landscape.

[arjaybe]

It reminds me of the way a leaf will oscillate in the wind.

[zorlac]

"though we've been given no hard figures, the company claims that the Saphonian works to a level of efficiency which exceeds the Betz limit – a proposition which leaves us feeling skeptical"

Hmmmm, why make a claim like that without some numbers?
Though it appears quite interesting, making claims like that at the outset sounds fishy.