Wind energy has been used in Holland since the inception of the country. Now, a new concept is proposed for the city of Rotterdam.
Built on an underground foundation for a floating appearance, the 571 ft Dutch Windwheel is composed of two rings.
The inner ring will generate power from wind energy and will also house 72 apartments, commercial outlets, a hotel and a restaurant. The outer ring will have 40 rotating cabins to provide spectacular views of Rotterdam city like the London Eye that attracts millions of visitors every year.
How Will It Generate Energy?
There won’t be any giant rotating turbine in the building. The huge “bladeless wind turbine” that spans the center smaller ring has no moving parts. It is based on the technology called EWICON (Electrostatic Wind Energy Converter) developed at Delft Technical University. It generates electricity by harnessing the movement of charged water droplets in the wind.
The main advantage of this technology is that there are no moving parts, so there is no noise or vibration in the building.
Not only this, the structure will also be equipped with solar PVs to harness sunlight for additional electricity. It will capture rainwater for flushing toilets and watering plants in the building as well. The waste will then be recycled and will be converted into biogas.
