Wind Energy Stored In Gravity 3D Printer Model

Author: @
License: CC BY-SA
File formats: STL,max
Download type: zip
Size:3.0MB

The file 'Wind Energy Stored In Gravity 3D Printer Model' is (STL,max) file type, size is 3.0MB.

Summary

Check out some of our other models:

- Desktop Satellite Antenna

- Animated Humanoid Robot Head

- Mini Vertical Wind Turbine

- Mike's Spool Holder

- The Catfish - A fully working submarine

- Pumpkin Carving Tools

Wind Energy Stored In Gravity

The challenge

Design a 3D model that harnesses the power of the wind.

Technology connections

Energy transfer, movable assemblies.

The idea

This model demonstrates a fairly new idea that is being used in the field of renewable energy:

Storing energy from wind and solar in gravity. This simple solution eliminates the need for expensive and environmentally unfriendly batteries.

We can use generated energy to lift heavy objects and later retrieve the energy using the weight of the lifted object to turn gears on its way back down. A gravity battery is considered full when the heavy object is lifted all the way up.

Real world implementations of this concept usually involve weights that are either lowered into deep holes in the ground or held in above ground silos.

How it works

Energy is generated using a vertical wind turbine on the lefthand side. There is a movable battery section in the middle that can be adjusted left or right to charge or expend the gravity battery. On the right side, there is a fan that can be used to reproduce the summer breeze after it is caught and stored in the battery.

Multiple copies of the rack gear can be glued together to increase the storage capacity of the battery indefinitely. There is a small release lever on the top left of the movable battery area that keeps the gears moving in one direction.

I’m using 8x7x22mm ball bearings to make all of the parts turn smoothly: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BBGTK6

Video: http://youtu.be/l1YajkmqFpw and https://youtu.be/9IRc9xG2ers

Here is a video of Bill Gates talking about gravity energy storage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH5Lgv-4te8

Check out http://www.gravitybattery.info/ for a great illustration of a proposed home use solution.

Mini version of the vertical wind turbine:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:971564

base1.STL 57.6KB
base2.STL 21.7KB
base3.STL 56.1KB
base4.STL 884.0B
bearing_cover.STL 10.0KB
fan_and_gear_4_blades.STL 158.8KB
fan_blade.STL 9.7KB
fan_gear.STL 105.3KB
full_thing.STL 1.9MB
full_wind_thing.STL 1.8MB
gear1.STL 215.4KB
gear2.STL 350.4KB
lever.STL 34.1KB
rack_gear.STL 125.2KB
rack_stopper.STL 2.4KB
replacement_bearing_stand.STL 9.5KB
turbine_bottom.STL 193.5KB
turbine_full.STL 258.7KB
turbine_spacer.STL 3.2KB
turbine_top.STL 148.1KB
wind.max 2.9MB
worm_gear.STL 88.8KB