All this talk of harvesting wind energy to power shit is really getting on my nerves. Have we forgotten the joys of the wind itself? Have we forgotten the wonder of a simple cool breeze? This saddens me...
Now, enough nostalgia, on to the meat and taters of the idea. There are lots of places in the world that have lots of wind, but no people. There also places that have lots of people, but no wind.
This poses all sorts of problems, not the least of which is pollution buildup in the air because there's no wind to cycle the air and disperse the smog. This causes health problems, corrosion in vehicles and buildings, and unsafe drinking water.
So my solution is to build windfarms in areas with lots of wind but no people, and transmit their generated electricity via cables to power nearly identical towers that CREATE wind in stuffy areas with lots of people! Windmill-powered fan towers!-- 21 Quest, Oct 04 2009 The wind power -> electricity -> wind power conversion is very inefficient. A more efficient approach would be to have a simple mechanical linkage between the windmill and the fan - e.g. a very long bicycle chain.-- hippo, Oct 05 2009 When I first conceived this idea, I envisioned a windmill that powered itself. Basically, when wind is blowing, it performs as a normal windmill, but stores all the energy. When the wind dies down, it uses the stored energy to keep spinning, thus giving the waning wind a boost and helping ensure an undying wind. Then I thought of a way to apply the same principle in a more helpful manner. Sure, there's an efficiency loss, but that's not really the point. Better less power and some wind where the people who need it are than nothing. The long chain's a decent idea, but more difficult and expensive to maintain. I do love the image it brings to mind, though. Instead of power lines, miles and miles of elevated bicycle chain... whimsical indeed.
[+] for your anno, Hippo.-- 21 Quest, Oct 05 2009 From the title, I totally thought this was some kind of wind instrument with which to attack people. I am disappointed in your beneficence, [21Quest], very disappointed.
[+]-- CaptainClapper, Oct 05 2009 I have gotten really chapped, but never to the point of a wind wound.-- bungston, Oct 05 2009 Surely a wind-wound wonder would involve a wound-up spring, or a twisted rubber band.
And a whimsical wonder should also be musical, or brightly colored, etc..
Of course, since windmills are, as you said, in quite remote locations, whatever sound is created needs to be loud. A way of producing some really loud sounds, that involves wind (or at least, compressed air), is the auxetophone.-- goldbb, Oct 05 2009 I had not come across the auxetophone before. I was thinking of an electrically amplified solidbody aeolian harp.-- pocmloc, Oct 05 2009 Yes. Of course, you would need a whole bank of them to produce a really effective wind transfer.
/There are lots of places in the world that have lots of wind, but no people. There also places that have lots of people, but no wind.//
...and then there are places where you have a lot of people and a lot of wind. Not thinking of anywhere in particular...-- egbert, Oct 05 2009 Denver and Chicago, to name a few.-- 21 Quest, Oct 05 2009 I'm guessing egbert meant somewhere in the 'Southern Hemisphere.'-- RayfordSteele, Feb 01 2010 You had me at " ...meat and taters..." -- Bun [+]-- Grogster, Aug 24 2016 random, halfbakery