Futuristic wind turbine to house people and generate green power

Proposed wind energy project in the Netherlands could redefine renewable energy generation.

A new project, The Dutch Windwheel, is a massive proposed and unique wind turbine for Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands, which will not only generate energy from the wind, but will feature apartments, hotel rooms, and a restaurant along the structure’s exterior.

The Dutch Windwheel would utilize special wind energy technology.

The huge and innovative environmentally-friendly structure would use electrostatic wind energy converter (EWICON) technology to produce electricity without requiring moving parts, as is the case with traditional wind turbine energy.

Instead, the central area of the structure would be equipped with a power generator that harnesses the wind to generate electricity. This electrostatic wind conversion technology depends on wind to push charged particulars in a specific direction to produce energy. It does not require a moving rotor to generate energy. More specifically, the unique bladeless turbines will function by charging positive particles (water droplets), which the wind will blow away from a negative ion collector.

The EWICON technology was developed from scientific research conducted by TU Delft (Delft University of Technology) and its partners, and was unveiled back in March 2013.

The Dutch Windwheel wind turbine will look like its floating on water.

According to the official website for the Dutch Windwheel, “The state-of -the-art design consists of two of three-dimensional rings with a light, open steel and glass construction. Because the foundation is underwater, it looks as if Dutch Windwheel is floating.” The site also states that the double ring design not only offers aesthetic appeal, “but also offers a diversity of functions.”

The interior ring is a windmill that will feature a first class restaurant with a panorama view, apartments, a sky lobby and hotels, and other commercial functions. Meanwhile, the exterior ring will be home to 40 rotating cabins on a rail system.

In addition to producing energy from wind, the company behind the proposed wind turbine project has revealed that the structure will also have other sustainable features including waste to biogas conversation, rain water capture and use, and solar PVT modules. That being said, the company has yet to post power production figures.