The Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands is experimenting with an interesting new way to extract energy from the wind without the use of turbines. It works by producing a thin, electrically charged mist that’s blown by the wind away from the device to create a net charge and hence a voltage difference from the earth ground.

It will be interesting to see how practical this proves to be. There are obvious disadvantages (notably the need for a fair amount of reasonably clean water) as well as advantages (quiet operation with no big mechanical moving parts). This video introduces the idea:

Link: http://youtu.be/tqksCHWROBU

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