A Salt Lake City-based startup, Halcium, is working on the PowerPod, a small-scale wind turbine designed specifically to work in towns and cities. According to its creators, it is the most powerful, safest wind turbine ever.
The portable PowerPod has a much lower cost than solar panels and can work much more efficiently in areas with less than 300 days of sun per year. It’s a 1 kW wind turbine that potentially produces 3x more power than a regular turbine. The extra power is due to an advanced blade system in the pod, which increases the wind speed by 40%. Also, it has no external moving parts, making it safe for kids, pets, and wildlife (birds in particular).
When developing a portable wind turbine, Halcium wanted to create a device that would fit seamlessly into urban space and would not be criticized, as is often the case with conventional wind turbines in rural areas. Halcium’s portable machine resembles a dustbin in form and size. It can be placed on your roof, fence, or on top of a public building, campervan, sailing boat, or any secure surface to generate electricity.
The airflow is collected by the exterior of the pod and focused on an advanced circular blade, which is contained entirely within the stationary shell. Because of its shape, the external shell can take the wind from any direction, changing directions, or even multiple directions at once. When regular turbines are in such conditions, they can shatter – throwing blades at high speeds.
As the wind speed increases with the design of the device itself, it reduces the need to put the PowerPod on tall poles, which are expensive to mount and take a lot of space if guy-wires are required.
The PowerPod can be used by itself, hooking into a power system the same way solar panels would be, requiring the same type of equipment. If you already have a solar system, the PowerPod is designed to connect seamlessly into an existing system to provide an additional, diversified source of power. Besides, the PowerPod is a great addition to an off-grid, energy independent system to diversify away from reliance on sunny days.
The system can be used in both public places and private households and can ultimately become a convenient and quick addition to building systems, allowing them to generate electricity and not depend on the grid.
The company says that production is still very much in the early stages, and it is currently looking for financial support. Halcium’s technology could revolutionize the way we generate energy in the future.
