08 January, 2013
(Rinnovabili.it) – From destructive force in creative power, for the tornado up it could be really short. Or at least he hopes the Canadian engineer Louis Michaud who is pioneering the creation of small tornadoes for the production of electricity. Michaud's work, and the company of which he is president, focuses on a particular invention called "Atmospheric Vortex Engine" (AVE) which would lead to air turbulence artificial to exploit vigorously.
AVE works by introducing hot air station in a circular that due to the difference in temperature to the atmospheric air contained within it produces a tornado controlled; this in turn puts in action multiple wind turbines that convert mechanical energy into electricity. The company explains that the system, in addition to not produce emissions and require no energy reserves stored to run, could potentially produce electricity at a cost to be from $ 0.03 per kilowatt hour. "The power of tornado is unquestioned," says Michaud enthusiastic. "My work has established the principles by which we can control and exploit this power to provide clean energy on an unprecedented scale."
The heat required to get the mini-tornado must initially be provided by a temporary heat, such as a heater, but, once the vortex is created, just a thermal source more sustainable - as the waste heat of an industrial or l 'warm seawater. According to the data of the company, a central AVE with a diameter of 100 meters is capable of generating reach a capacity of 200 MW. For now, though, efforts have focused on the production of a prototype of 8 meters to get a whirlwind of 40 meters high.
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