A high performance hybrid turbine is provided which has an impeller towards which a fluid flow of water, air, or other fluid is conveyed for rotation of the impeller around an axis of rotation. The impeller exploits the thrusts that the fluid flow exerts on the elements constituting the impeller and the thrusts generated by a certain number of airfoils provided inside the elements of the impeller. The high performance hybrid turbine, if used as a wind turbine, can operate at much higher wind speeds than conventional wind turbines.

A vertical-axis wind turbine generator includes two or more rotor assemblies, each rotor assembly having two or more wind turbine blades mounted for rotation, preferably those having a Savonius configuration. A cowling includes a nose portion forming a bifurcating wind diverter, in which the bifurcated airflow is directed in order to cause counter directional flow of the wind turbine blades. According to at least one version, the cowling further includes a cover portion that defines a venturi chamber above the rotating blades to draw air into the top of the turbine above the rotating blades and create a vacuum, thereby reducing resistance. The cowling can be part of an existing wind turbine or alternatively replace an original cowling as a retrofit.

A hydroelectric turbine designed to operate in a bi-directional reversing water flow caused by ocean waves, comprising an annular stator with two axially spaced sets of a plurality of guide vanes placed along its circumference that are inclined in the axial direction, an annular rotor with a plurality of concavo-convex blades placed along its circumference with an electric generator attached to it. The rotor is placed to rotate about its axis between the two sets of the stator guide vanes. Wherein, the stator and rotor are placed within the cylindrical part of an hourglass-shaped double funnel so when the ocean wave moves in one direction, the water flow enters the turbine through one end of the double funnel (inlet) and passes through the channels formed by one of the stator guide vane sets towards the rotor blades. The channels formed by the stator guide vanes are inclined at an angle to the rotor rotation plane, so that the water flows in the direction of the rotor rotation. After passing through the channels formed by the rotor blades and the channels formed by the other set of the stator guide vanes the water flows out of the turbine through the opposite end of the double funnel (outlet). When the wave moves in the opposite direction and the water flow direction reverses accordingly, the outlet becomes the inlet and the inlet becomes the outlet. The turbine keeps rotating in the same direction, transmitting the rotation to the electric generator and providing continuous high efficiency energy conversion.

A vehicle having an energy conversion system for converting wind energy into electrical energy includes a rotor with a rotor axis of rotation, which is oriented substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis, wherein the energy conversion system is closer to the rear end than to the front end of the vehicle. Also described is a trailer comprising an energy conversion system for converting wind energy into electrical energy. In addition, an aircraft is described, including an energy conversion system for converting wind energy into electrical energy. Moreover, the energy conversion system is usable to improve the driving characteristics of vehicles. A headwind deflection system for vehicles also includes an energy conversion system for converting wind energy into electrical energy, comprising a rotor, a flow channel and a wind funnel. In addition, a kit of parts may include a vehicle and the headwind deflection system.

A wind power plant includes a shrouded wind turbine having an annular shroud which defines a longitudinal axis and which is rotationally symmetrical thereto. A radially inner upper side of the shroud forms a flow channel for the wind, wherein a propeller which can rotate about the longitudinal axis and is intended for driving an electrical generator is rotatably mounted in the flow channel. A support, which defines a support longitudinal direction, has arranged thereon an annular shroud bearing element on which the shroud, and hence the wind turbine, can be mounted in different pivoting positions about a pivot axis, which extends transversely with respect to the support longitudinal direction.

The Wind Wall is a solid structure composed of one or more Wind Cells, arranged adjacently, one next to the other, in an orderly and symmetrical way, in such a way that as a whole they form a continuous structure of Wind Cells, sustainable by itself and modular along the three physical dimensions, where each Wind Cell has an inlet opening and an outlet opening, where the internal surface comprised from the inlet opening to the outlet opening has the shape of an extrados (upper face) blade profile in revolution, and where the inlet opening and the outlet opening are of equal or substantially equal dimensions.

The Wind Cell, being the constructive component of the Wind Wall, is an aerodynamic structure specially designed to increase the wind speed within a critical space and, therefore, increase the wind power available to be used by the rotor of a Wind Turbine. The increase in wind speed is achieved through the deliberate creation of environments with high pressure differentials and, at the same time, environments dedicated to maintaining laminar wind flow and mitigating turbulent flow.

The Wind Wall is by itself a new generation of Wind Systems based not only on the aerodynamic efficiency of the Wind Turbine, but also on the aerodynamic efficiency of the structure and environment surrounding the Wind Turbine. In this sense, the new generation of Wind Systems, based on the application of the Wind Wall, will be able to increase the wind speed and, therefore, increase the density of the underlying power, given the same wind resource available in nature, allowing this way a general increase in the capacity of generating electric power.

An energy conversion unit for converting wind energy into electrical energy includes at least one rotor with a substantially horizontal axis of rotation, having a plurality of rotor blades extending radially to the axis of rotation, wherein the rotor has a flow direction which corresponds to the axis of rotation, a wall to be arranged next to a traffic route for vehicles which can move on the traffic route in a direction of travel and the movement of which causes an air flow, wherein the wall has a receptacle in which the rotor is arranged, wherein the receptacle has an opening on a side surface of the wall to be directed towards the traffic route, and wherein the axis of rotation of the at least one rotor is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel.

A fluid-driven power generation unit, may include two sets of airfoils disposed on opposite sides of the power generation unit with their leading edges facing a windward end of the power generation unit; a body element having a curved front face and a back disposed, wherein at least a portion of the elongate body element is disposed between the first and second set of airfoils; and a power generation unit disposed in alignment with the body element, the power generation unit including at least a housing, and a turbine and an electrical generation unit actuated by the turbine disposed within the housing. As a fluid flows across the airfoils, the lifting force of the airfoils causes a reduced pressure within the power generation unit, drawing air past the turbine, through the body element and out the back of the body element, thereby extracting power from this secondary fluid flow stream.

The multi-staged cowl described herein allows to increase and maximize water mass flow and pressure drop at the runner cross-section of a hydrokinetic turbine so as to maximize produced power output, while respecting dimensional constraints provided by a shallow body of water, a river for example, in which the hydrokinetic turbine can be submerged. The multi-staged cowl described herein can thus be configured so as to allow water to flow through the hydrokinetic turbine at a substantially stable water mass flow, eliminating instability, avoiding vortices, minimizing cavitation and avoiding fluid separation to negligible levels, and can include an inlet, an outlet and multiple stages which can extend between the inlet and the outlet, so that water can flow therethrough in a water flow direction.

The invention discloses improved versions of a horizontal axis wind turbine and new fundamental methodologies for the design of wind turbines, which are capable of extracting both kinetic and thermal energy from the wind. The wind turbines use a large diameter forward inlet fairing to accelerate the airflow to the more effective outer radii of the turbine rotor where the airflow is constrained by an airfoil-shaped flow control ring, which also serves to prevent rotor tip losses, to inhibit wake expansion, and to accelerate the airflow through the turbine. A similarly large diameter aft pressure recovery fairing promotes rotation and contraction of the wake downstream of the turbine. Further methodologies for optimization and an algorithm for detail design are disclosed.