Bladeless turbines revolutionise wind power

Could the innovative design expand the possibilities of wind power?

Spotted: Although wind power generation has been growing in recent years, this growth needs to speed up if we’re going to meet 2050 net-zero goals. Spanish startup Vortex Bladeless sees large, space-intensive turbines as a significant barrier to wider wind energy adoption. Its solution? Smaller, bladeless wind generators.

Unlike traditional wind turbines, the Vortex Bladeless design looks like a simple, cylindrical mast. This mast oscillates around its fixed base in the wind, harnessing the energy of natural vortices created as wind flows around its structure. Electromagnetic induction comes into play as the movement creates interactions between internal copper coils and permanent magnets, ultimately converting this kinetic energy into electricity.

This bladeless design could make wind a much more feasible energy source for residential urban areas. This is because these generators not only require significantly less land and ongoing maintenance to function, but are also quieter than traditional turbines. Unlike traditional turbines, Vortex’s solution is also bird-friendly. Depending on the requirements, the bladeless technology could be implemented on a smaller scale in more crowded residential areas, or for large-scale energy generation in traditional wind farms and offshore sites, where the absence of gears and blades will also help to reduce the risk of corrosion that’s common in turbines. 

Vortex does not have any commercially available products at this time, but its technology is patent-protected. Its most advanced designs are still in the pre-production or beta stage, with others prototyped or being projected. The company’s research has been supported by the European Union funding for Research and Innovation and the Institute for Business Competitiveness (ICE) of Castilla y León, among others.

Written By: Joshua Solomon