Wind energy: Turbine without blades (or propellers) is indicated in urban environments, does not threaten bird migration patterns, or wildlife.

Vortex Bladeless, a tech start-up based in Spain, is developing wind turbines that don't need blades (or propellers). One of the objectives is to be able to use these turbines in urban and residential spaces, where the impact of ecological parks would be too great. Similar to a “giant straw”, according to its creators, it came to change the world of renewable energy.

David Yáñez, the inventor of these turbines, says that they can be a complement to photovoltaics “because solar panels produce electricity during the day, while wind speeds tend to be higher at night”. “But the main benefit of the technology is to reduce its environmental impact, its visual impact and the cost of operating and maintaining the turbine”, he adds.

Bladeless turbines are three meters tall and have a cylinder with a curved lid fixed vertically with an elastic rod. The turbine is designed to oscillate with the wind, generating electricity through vibration.

Turbine without blades (or propellers) could be the future of wind and renewable energy

Vortex Bladeless claims that the turbine is not a danger to bird migration patterns, or to wildlife, especially if used in urban environments. Additionally, he claims that the noise created would be at a frequency practically undetectable to humans.

“Today, the turbine is small and can generate small amounts of electricity. But we are looking for an industrial partner to increase our plans for a 140-meter turbine with a power capacity of 1 megawatt”, reveals the inventor of the turbines.

The design won approval from Norway's state-owned energy company, Equinor, which named it one of the top 10 most exciting start-ups in the energy sector. The company will also offer support for the development of the start-up through its technology accelerator program.

Without the blades (or propellers) the Vortex can transform air breezes into energy

Looks can be deceiving, but even without the propellers, the Vortex can transform air breezes into energy, but in a different way. Instead of using the circular motion that the blades make, the new turbine uses so-called vorticity, an aerodynamic effect that produces the pattern of rotating vortices. Vorticity has been considered the greatest enemy of architects and engineers, who try their best to work around these eddies of wind in certain types of buildings. However, the founders of Vortex Bladeless, David Suriol, David Yáñez, and Raul Martín, saw an opportunity in this.

The Vortex format was developed to guarantee that the rotating winds travel, in synchrony, the entire expansion of the mast, in order to obtain a good performance.

Your prototype current is made of fiberglass and carbon fiber, which allows it to vibrate as much as possible. At the base of the cone, two repellent magnets were placed, which act as a non-electric motor. When the cone sways to one side, the magnets pull it in the other direction, like a small boost in its motion without having to rely on wind speed. This kinetic energy is then converted into electricity by an alternator that multiplies the mast oscillation frequency to improve the efficiency of obtaining energy.

Vortex Nano: 1 meter high and nominal power of 3 W. Primarily designed to bring power to off-grid locations for low-power systems, working alongside solar panels. Stage: pre-production of a first beta series.
Vortex Tacoma 2,75 meters high and nominal power of 100 W. Mainly designed for small-scale residential and rural autonomous operation, working with solar panels. Stage: prototype, being developed.
Vortex Atlantis/Grand: 9–13 meters tall and about 1 kW rated power. Designed for residential and rural autonomous operation and complementary installation with solar panels on buildings and factories. Stage: designed but not yet being developed.