One of the most devastating elements on Earth, a hurricane, is mainly known for the path of destruction it leaves behind. They can grow to a gigantic size, reaching more than 300 miles across.
A very obvious trail of evidence can’t be mistaken for anything else – when a hurricane strikes, wide areas around the Caribbean islands and southern states of the US, as well as parts of Latin and Southern Americas, are often flattened.
As #NASA reported, “during its life cycle a hurricane can expend as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs!”.
This clearly isn’t a force to toy with.
Despite its destructive power, scientists and entrepreneurs are looking for ways to capture hurricanes’ potential and turn it into a renewable energy source.
In 2016 one of the first prototypes was created by a Japanese entrepreneur Atsushi Shimizu, and installed in Okinawa. The new type of wind turbine aims to convert strong winds generated by hurricanes and feed it back to the electrical grid. There is still lots that need improving, but the first results were promising.
The question now arises – how can we capture the entire potential that hurricanes carry and make it a part of our new energy solution?
