Part of seeking a more sustainable future involves recapturing the energy we create and putting it to good use. JetWind Power Corporation has found a fascinating way to do that with the help of the wind created by jet engines.
The company's success in its homebase of Dallas will see it expand its eco-friendly operations internationally over the next few years.
Commercial jet engines produce an immense amount of wind power. The 150 mph wind speeds created during takeoff can be felt up to 200 feet away and are comparable to that of a Category 4 hurricane. It's easy to imagine, then, that they might serve as fantastic resources for wind turbines.
This was the line of thinking that led JetWind Power Corporation to create its Energy Capturing Pods (ECPs). These devices are placed near aircraft when they're taking off so that they can convert that immense wind power into electricity through their airfoil wind turbines.
While the finer details of these groundbreaking devices are complex, the concept is a simple one: harness otherwise wasted energy generated by aircraft and save it for later.
According to JetWind, that saved energy amounts to 65 megawatt hours per bank of JetWind pods, with 1,300 full Tesla Model 3 charges possible from a single pod annually.
Watch now: Delta shares prototype of new suitcase made from retired jets
Interestingly, JetWind's founder comes from a decidedly different background than you might expect from a clean energy innovator. Dr. T. O. Souryal is the founder of Texas Sports Medicine and once served as the head team physician for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.
Souryal's unusual transition from medicine to clean energy began on one of the many of airplane flights his unique career took him on.
"There was debris flying out the window from the jet exhaust, and I thought to myself, wouldn't it be interesting if we could capture some of this debris and make something good out of it?" he told CBS News Texas.
JetWind's ECPs continue to generate interest from markets in Brazil, France, Australia, and more. With its proprietary product ready for market and positioned for scalability, it is looking to expand internationally in 2025 and beyond.
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No way 🙅 This amazing innovation in wind power is only one of many, too. Flower Turbines has crafted a small-scale flower-shaped turbine that can be subtly placed in gardens to provide clean energy to homes. On a far larger scale, University of Virginia engineers have reimagined how to effectively create cost-efficient wind turbines that are larger than ever before.
As for JetWind's clean energy innovations, the company doesn't stop at harnessing wasted aircraft energy. The company believes its technology is capable of utilizing roadways, railways, and heliports for similar eco-friendly means.
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