Place: Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, Russia
Population (humans): 44,857
Population (reindeer): 210,000
Climate: Winter (-50C),
Culture: The Nenets are traditionally nomadic reindeer herders.They use all part of the reindeer to make rope, clothes, and for food. They also eat fish and mountain cranberry.
Some Nenets choose to live in settled towns instead.
Problems: The Nenets have been having problems keeping the younger generations to follow the nomadic lifestyle the tribe has lived. The location and vast distances the tribe must travel makes it difficult for them to get electricity. If there were a way to create portable, clean energy the nomadic lifestyle the tribe has been living may become more appealing to the younger generation.
Solution: A small, portable wind belt would provide energy for phones. Wind belts are cheap to produce and do not produce CO2. This way they don’t contribute to the climate change affecting them. More nenets members might be willing to remain and not move to cities if they had a reliable, more modern energy source.
Energy Calculation:
Power in wind/Area of captured wind energy = 1/2 * density of air * v^3
Average wind speed in the Yamal Peninsula ranges between 4-7 mph depending on where in the Yamal Peninsula you are.
density of air = 1.2 kg/m^3, because temperatures in the Yamal Peninsula are low, this number could be slightly higher since cold air is denser.
4mph(1600m/mi)(1h/3600 s) = 1.79 m/s
P/A = 1/2 * (1.2 kg/m^3) * (1.79 m/s)^3 = 3.44 W/m^2
chosen windbelt: 1m x 10cm, A = .1 m^2
P = 3.44W/m^2 * (.1 m^2) = .344 W
The efficiency is less than a turbine, so we will assume 1% efficient.
Actual power = .344(.01) W = 34mW
To charge a phone you need about 5W. This would require 170 windbelts
Even though it costs only $5-10 to build one, spending $1000 to charge a phone is not feasible.
6 Windbelts are capable of fully charging one phone in about a day, however this is still not the most efficient method of producing electricity.
Bio:
Jake DeLalla – 2nd year Business Administration Major. I’m from San Dimas, California and I enjoy cars, going to the gym, and hanging out with friends.
Khulan Orgil – 3rd year Electrical Engineering major
Annabelle Bitterman – 3rd year biology major and energy enthusiast
Christian Leone- 3rd year transfer student, Graphic communication major
This is a good start. How do you see this technology working out? Given the size of the windbelt you have chosen, please approximate the power output. Please consider the efficiency you might expect from it? It must be less than the Bets limit, no? If this were the case, how big would your windbelt need to be in order to charge a cell phone? Is this practical? Maybe you could say more in your bio?