Combined vertical-axis turbines and CPV systems could save land use

One drawback of the use of alternative energy from renewable energy sources is a more extensive land use with the same power generated compared to energy from fossil or nuclear. There are some researches indicates about the same odds of the less land use to produce power using CPV system and vertical-axis turbines.

An encouraging word come from a researcher at Caltech with its experimental of vertical-axis turbines farm which could save the land use and more power generated than traditional wind turbines. The test was conducted in Southern California, which a farm vertical-axis turbines spaced close together without interrupting the circulation of the wind on the other units.

The vertical-axis turbines made by Windspire energy, shaped like 10-meter tall columns,and placed in 75-meter square space. The trial has calculated the power generated by per meter of turbine units and to determine whether there are interference arising from the adjacent units.

The concentrating photovoltaics (CPV) system is a one solution to use less land than other solar technologies. CPV concentrate light using mirrors and lenses for greater solar cell output . The study by an industry group and University of California Berkeley, concluded that the CPV system use less space, less water, and fewer materials used compared to other solar technologies that already exist.

The combination of these solar and wind technologies will produce more power which might someday could be equated with the fossil or nuclear. At least there is a new hope to harvest renewable energy that more efficient particularly on land use as well as power generated.