Urban wind turbine inventors scoop James Dyson Award
Young inventors from Lancaster University have won the international James Dyson Award for their innovative urban turbine which generates energy from multidirectional winds.
Wind is unpredictable when passing through tall buildings in cities, making it tricky to generate renewable energy in the same way wind farms can in the country.
Nicolas Orellana and Yaseen Noorani developed a unique way to allow urban areas to make electricity with their O-Wind Turbine.
After winning a £2,000 investment for their project in the national competition in September, the pair have been awarded an additional £35,000 prize in the final international stage, toppling talent from across the globe.
Says Sir James Dyson:
“Design something that solves a problem is an intentionally broad brief. It invites talented young inventors to do more than just identify real problems. It empowers them to use their ingenuity to develop inventive solutions. O-Wind Turbine does exactly that.
“It takes the enormous challenge of producing renewable energy and using geometry it can harness energy in places where we’ve scarcely been looking – cities. It’s an ingenious concept.”
O-Wind Turbine comes in the form of a 25cm sphere featuring geometric vents on a fixed axis, which enables the device to spin in any direction, generating energy.
The two inventors hope to make their invention cheaply, enabling people to install them on large buildings or balconies, where wind speeds can reach their highest.
“We hope that O-Wind Turbine will improve the usability and affordability of turbines for people across the world,” said Mr Orellana.
“Cities are windy places but we are currently not harnessing this resource. Our belief is that by making it easier to generate green energy, people will be encouraged to play a bigger own role in conserving our planet.
“Winning the international James Dyson Award has validated our concept. The attention we’ve received so far has been humbling and given us the confidence to see the development of this concept as a future career.
“Already we are in discussions with investors and we hope to secure a deal in the coming months.”
