Culture
How Long Must We Wait for the Bladeless Windmill?
A few years, at least. But the future is bright.
After we posted an image of a concept rendering for a bladeless windmill last week, readers had questions. Is it efficient? Cheap? How soon might the EWICON (Electrostatic Wind Energy Converter) be providing wind power from a roof near us?
To get the answers to those questions, I spoke with Dhiradj Djairam, who invented the EWICON for his doctorate at the Delft University of Technology. First thing's first: it's going to be a while before there's a bladeless windmill near you.