This 'Wind & Solar Tower' can produce 234,154 kWh per year

The technology and a scale model of WST were unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show that was held in the United States of America. Claimed as the world’s only hybrid generating system powered by both these renewable energy sources, the equipment helps to reduce the cost of producing power to the point that WST power is less expensive than traditional generation, thanks to WSTs' large fuel-free electricity production.

Custom engineering

Beginning in 2007, Orlando-based Jim Bardia developed the Wind & Solar Tower by improvising on technology to make wind energy generation sustainable for farm use, and years of hard work led to the current design that eliminated performance and operational restrictions in traditional vertical-axis wind turbines.

According to the firm, the Wind & Solar Tower's core design philosophy is similar to that of a race car, prioritizing strength, friction reduction, redundancy, and simplicity of assembly and maintenance.

A floating-bearing levitation hub is the crucial element enhancing VAWT efficiency. Strong magnets are used in the tower's seat, eliminating static and dynamic stresses and the friction they cause. This improves performance and dependability. This feature lowers friction while raising the electrical output curve.

A digitally controlled multi-speed sequential gearbox increases production over a broader range of wind speeds while starting up more slowly than traditional machines. "The Tower can generate electricity in winds as low as five mph, in wind gusts, and in winds as high as 75 mph," said the firm's website.

A self-cleaning solar panel featured atop the tower helps to avoid performance degradation and additional maintenance brought on by dirt buildup on traditional panels, in addition to improving its electrical output by 38%.

WST also features a modular design that can be assembled to fit various operational needs. Thanks to the modular design, key components can also be stored inside the tower in readily replaceable plug-and-play modules. Due to the ease with which a defective module may be removed and sent back to the factory for replacement or repair, this design feature avoids the need for complex field service.

The tower can charge six vehicles at once and produces enough electricity each year (at a 20 kW charge) to power more than 9,400 electric automobiles. The equipment can also return extra energy to the grid and store it in a 1008 kW (one megawatt) battery.

Bardia says the U.S. electric grid needs "strengthening because it is being asked to deliver far more energy than ever. But we can’t be spending billions of dollars to build additional power plants that will increase pollution by burning more fossil fuels," said Bardia. Thus, a station such as WST that can produce its power might assist in satisfying such demand more sustainably.