Hybrid Energy Sheets With Micro Wind Turbines for Distributed Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wind power systems face challenges in distribution and deployment, including environmental concerns, high maintenance costs, and inefficiency in generating power due to their large size and isolated installations, which limit their ability to provide continuous and widespread clean energy.
Innovation Solution
The development of tiny wind turbines, ranging from 50 micrometers to half an inch in size, integrated onto sheets with solar energy gathering materials, allowing for efficient energy generation and distribution across large areas, including roadways and vehicles, with pre-installed wiring for easy installation and connection to multiple grid points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If large wind turbines (100 feet or greater) are used to generate Megawatt volumes of power, then power generation capacity is improved, but environmental harm increases due to noise, size disruption, habitat concerns, and threats to birds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single large turbine system into multiple small turbine units distributed across a sheet. Each small turbine generates a fraction of the total power, but collectively they achieve Megawatt-level generation while minimizing environmental harm through their tiny size (50 micrometers to half an inch), eliminating noise and visual disruption associated with large turbines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different qualities to different parts of the system: the sheet provides structural support and solar energy collection, while the distributed tiny turbines provide wind energy collection. This localized functional differentiation allows the system to optimize for both energy generation and environmental compatibility in different spatial zones.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If large wind turbines are placed far away from existing infrastructure, then environmental disruption is reduced, but infrastructure cost increases due to expensive transportation and building of power lines
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the tiny turbines, collects solar energy through integrated solar materials, and acts as a mounting platform. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate infrastructure components, reducing overall system cost and complexity while allowing deployment near existing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges wind energy collection and solar energy collection into a single integrated sheet system. The tiny wind turbines and solar materials are combined on the same substrate, allowing the system to capture both wind and solar energy in one unified structure, thereby reducing infrastructure costs and enabling deployment in urban environments near existing power grids.
3Power
If a single large turbine is used, then power generation volume is improved, but reliability worsens because the turbine produces zero power if it breaks or if wind conditions change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power generation function across hundreds or thousands of tiny turbine units distributed on the sheet. If one or a few turbines fail or stop operating due to wind conditions, the remaining turbines continue to generate power, maintaining overall system reliability. The distributed architecture provides inherent redundancy that eliminates the single-point-of-failure problem of large turbines.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the scale parameter of the turbine units from large (100 feet) to tiny (50 micrometers to half an inch). This parameter change enables the system to maintain power generation volume through quantity rather than individual size, thereby improving reliability through distributed redundancy while achieving the same or greater total power output.
4Ease of operation
If tiny wind turbines (50 micrometers to half an inch) are deployed individually, then ease of deployment is improved, but device complexity increases making installation tedious and challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges hundreds or thousands of tiny turbine units onto a single sheet substrate. This consolidation transforms the deployment task from installing individual tiny turbines (which would be tedious and complex) to installing a single pre-assembled sheet, dramatically simplifying installation while maintaining the advantages of distributed tiny turbine deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary assembly of the tiny turbines on the sheet at the manufacturing stage. All wiring, mounting, and positioning are completed beforehand, so that field installation requires only attaching the complete sheet to the target surface. This preliminary action eliminates the complexity of individual turbine installation while preserving the ease of deploying many small units.
5Ease of manufacture
If the sheeting is used without energy gathering materials, then ease of manufacture is improved, but energy generation capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials that integrate both structural and energy-generating functions. The sheet incorporates solar energy gathering materials into its structure, creating a composite that maintains ease of manufacture as a single integrated component while adding energy generation capability. The solar materials are embedded or layered within the sheet matrix, allowing simultaneous production of structural support and power generation functions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the deployment of billions of tiny turbines in spaces where larger ones cannot fit, providing noiseless, consistent, and efficient clean energy generation, reducing installation complexity and environmental impact, while allowing for hybrid solar-wind energy capture and direct power distribution to homes and businesses.
Implementation Method 1
sheets with solar energy gathering materials
Implementation Method 2
wind power turbines can generate power
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method and system for providing an energy gathering sheet to harness and provide energy to homes, businesses, and/or a utility grid. The energy gathering sheet is configured to receive solar or wind energy gathering devices or any combination thereof. The very small energy gathering devices (micrometer to nanometer range) are mounted onto a single installation sheet for the purposes of creating efficient and complimentary clean energy power to meet both small and large power demands. The single sheet of installable solar panels and/or wind turbines may be loosely rolled or stacked in sheets to protect the integrity of the solar panels and wind turbines. The single sheet is capable of being rolled out for efficient installations.