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Renewable energy is on the rise with the increasing demand for electricity and clean energy initiatives worldwide. Wind energy, in particular, has grown considerably in the last two decades as we continue to innovate the wind turbine design and harness more of the wind’s natural kinetic energy. However, humans make quite a bit of wind ourselves that is typically wasted.
Think about this… most homes and businesses these days have an HVAC system for their heating and cooling needs. These systems require electricity to heat or cool the air and then circulate it throughout the ventilation system. But, what if while using electricity, they could also produce electricity in the process? A company called Regenesis is putting their new invention to the test to see if it can do just that.
The Regenesis company slogan is "Converting Waste Air into Bottom Line Dollars" which is exactly what they are attempting to do with their HVAC wind energy capturing device. "Regenesis is all about reduction of energy costs and recapturing otherwise wasted energy potential," said Perry Martens, Inventor and Founder of Regenesis.
The Regenesis system captures wind energy from HVAC units by placing a small blade above the electrically powered propeller of the HVAC unit. As the HVAC unitcirculates air through the home or business,it also produces exhaust airflow through the top of the unit which then spins the Regenesis blade and creates energy. Regenesis claims that their product not only captures electricity but will also be able to improve the overall performance and efficiency of the HVAC unit.
The ability to recapture some of the waste energy and turn it back into electricity and utilize it as savings or store it has many investors very interested. The University of Arizona Engineering Design Program has invested funds and resources into further testing and developing this technology.
The backbone of the product is the blade design. The counter-clockwise blade is more efficient when used the clockwise fan of the HVAC unit. The result creates a unison "push and pull effect" of airflow. With both blades working together, there is an increase airflow and torque which has actually shown to make the overall unit more efficient in testing. The University of Arizona Engineering Design Programclaims to be able to recapture 15-20% of the wind energygenerated from the unit.
The invention's viability really hinges on one basic question: Can the vortex that is created between the HVAC blade and the Regenesis blade create wind energy without requiring additional power consumption from the HVAC unit? Through testing and refining of the blade, the engineers hope to prove it can on an industry-widescale.
"I think the applications are going to continue to grow where they can use this type of technology," Martens said. "We might be only touching the tip of the iceberg yet."
For more information on this new invention, check out this video.
