The recent Rita-proof post from Jones got me to thinking about an alternative scenario.
I'm sure most of us have at one time or another experienced unexpected wind gusts when walking past or between tall buildings. They don't call Chicago the "Windy City" for no reason! This is due to the fact that the wind is literally being funneled between the wall(s) of tall buildings into a smaller volume of space. The net result is that the atmospheric throughput of air must increase in order to balance the books. Architects have learned that they must take into consideration the natural environmental wind dynamics of the location when designing huge new buildings least pedestrians walking nearby might be swept off their feet, or whatever might be held in their hands. I understand complex computer modeling and wind tunnel tests have helped designers alleviate the worst of these environmental conditions. The TV program NOVA aired an excellent program on this issue a few series ago. I can't help but believe that the deliberate funneling of wind could just as easily be used to increase the efficiency of strategically placed wind farms. Fixed wall "barriers' could be constructed to help focus or funnel the prevailing winds into smaller volumetric spaces, and thus, increase the wind speed. This, in turn, would increase the overall efficiency of the windmills. It seems to me that such wind focusing designs would work best in areas where trade winds are predictably unidirectional. There exist numerous locations on the planet where the landscape naturally focuses wind, such as in a narrow valley that strategically runs parallel to the prevailing trade winds. The Columbia River that runs between the states of Oregon and Washington, where we see photos of spectacular wind surfing, instantly comes to mind. I suspect a number of wind farms are already taking advantage of these natural formations. I'm only suggesting that with a little artificial help we might be able to increase wind farm efficiency in other proposed locations where the landscape doesn't naturally help out. I would think the construction of "wind focusing" walls shouldn't add all that much more to the overall expense either since there are no moving parts. It's possible that the increase in electrical efficiency might easily pay for the wind focusing walls in short order. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
