Background: The windbelt, first designed by Shawn Frayne, is a device that converts wind into usable electricity by the principle of aeroelastic flutter. Unlike conventional wind turbines, windbelts are effective at producing electricity at low wind speeds. Regions that typically have lower average wind speeds are perfect for windbelt installations. However, windbelt design is relatively new and experimental. New materials and new designs must necessarily be tested to advance this potential source of clean energy.
Oppurtunity Definition: Though conventional windmills produce relatively little power at low wind speeds, windbelts can take advantage of the areas low average wind speeds. So far, three separate groups of Humboldt State University students have built windbelts, each time improving the windbelts design. This project serves to further improve upon the design of the windbelt and test new materials.
Literature Review
The following is a review of the literature of the available information relating to windbelts.
Windbelt Basics
Paragraph on the basics.
Components
Frame Ribbon Magnets Coils