Coming with the wind

3Tier has unveiled a 5-kilometer resolution global wind map based on one of the most accurate and comprehensive datasets ever created of global wind resources and their spatial and temporal variability.

3Tier unveiled its map and dataset at the 14th UN Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland, as part of the Global Wind Energy Council's (GWEC) "Wind Power Works" campaign.
“This map is intended to accelerate the development of wind energy by quantifying the value of the wind resource at any location around the world,” said Kenneth Westrick, CEO and founder of 3Tier.

“The underlying dataset provides the information developers, financiers and governments need to target the best regions in the world for data collection and higher resolution studies.”

A lot is happening in the wind sector by way of innovation to increase efficiencies.
Presently wind turbines use a mechanical transmission to smooth out the speed at which energy is delivered to an internal generator. Mechanical transmissions work well but are both expensive and somewhat inefficient.

ExRo's design does away with the old gearboxes and replaces them with a generator that can electronically adapt to different wind speeds. The resulting system can harness wind at both higher and lower speeds than traditional designs and may boost energy output by up to 50 percent while lowering costs.

Wind turbine design has also learnt a lot from the whale. Curved surfaces acting as a lens to concentrate wind, or a shroud to capture more of the wind which usually gets lost…

Well, wind is going places, actually! Catch the action on 3Tier’s map. Can wind do it for India's powerless millions?