The familiar sight of towering wind turbines with spinning blades dominating landscapes could soon be a thing of the past.
Glasgow-based startup Katrick Technologies is shaking up the renewable energy sector with a revolutionary design: bladeless honeycomb wind turbines. Unlike traditional turbines, Katrick's innovation features a compact hexagonal grid resembling a honeycomb, perched atop urban buildings or integrated into existing structures.
At the heart of Katrick's technology lies aerofoils that oscillate independently when exposed to the kinetic energy of wind. These mechanical oscillations are converted to energy, making the approach more efficient in less windy conditions and also catering to urban environments where space is limited.
Traditional turbines often face logistical and financial challenges due to their considerable land and maintenance requirements. In contrast, Katrick's honeycomb turbines offer a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative, particularly in urban settings.
A game-changing breakthrough.
Katrick Technologies takes its innovation a step further with the Wind Panel, a market-first wind power generation technology that overcomes the limitations of conventional turbines. The Wind Panel captures a wider range of wind speeds and frequencies at lower levels through its unique design featuring aerofoil ducts designed as part of a partnership with The Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
Validated to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 by the University of Strathclyde, the Wind Panel has undergone successful Alpha testing, 51 tests lasting over 80 hours, during which the prototype exceeded expectations by producing 41.1 W of mechanical power at just 10.2 m/s, surpassing the predicted maximum level. The overall efficiency was also higher than anticipated, standing at 6.85%, a significant improvement on forecast results.
A green energy future beckons.
Encouraged by the success of Alpha Stage 1, Katrick Technologies is gearing up for the upcoming stages— commercialization. Plans for Stage 2 involve validating the technology to TRL 6 and demonstrating it in a wind tunnel to mimic various environmental conditions. Following validation, Stage 3 will see any required upgrades and optimizations completed, bringing the technology one step closer to the market.
“Demand for clean electricity will rise significantly as we move away from using power produced by burning fossil fuels. But because distribution networks may not be able to fully satisfy this demand, we will need to be able to generate renewable energy locally or on buildings,” said Steve Nesbitt, Chief Technologist for the Built Environment at MTC, in a statement.
“Katrick’s novel technology is a great example of how this can be achieved, and we are pleased to be working with them to make their innovation a reality. We look forward to continuing our work with them to help commercialize their invention and accelerate society’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Cameron Johnstone, Director of the Energy Systems Research Unit at the University of Strathclyde, lauded Katrick Technologies for achieving a significant step forward in the development of the Wind Panel. “This demonstrates engineering performance which is de-risking both the investment relating to maturing the technology for the market and the performance and robustness of the product,” he noted.
Originally published on Interesting Engineering : Original article