Every now and then you come across an article and concept that makes you really smile and feel good on the inside. Typically they are "feel-good" stories that you see online or on the news, but today I came across this story about how scientists have designed new wind farms based on how schools of fish swim. So not only are we creating technology to help the environment but we are looking at nature for help.
The new vertical-axis wind turbines are designed by Caltech and are currently being tested in the California desert. Based on early tests, the new design actually helps increase energy output by 10X and could be the wave of the future for wind technology.
Here is a little statement from a Caltech engineer:
"Organizing the arrangement of wind turbines based upon the vortices shed by schooling fish is definitely a new approach. The fish aim to align themselves to optimize their forward propulsion."
Additionally here is a statement from the author of the study:
"While the connection between fish schooling and wind farms might seem non-intuitive at first, it is in fact a logical inference from the underlying flow physics."
Read more about the new advance over on the BBC
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