The SunPlower is supposed to be able to power mobile phone towers, propel boats and submarines, and fly you around in an Air-Taxi!
Let's turn flat solar panels into wind turbine blades!
The laws of physics and engineering might have a lot to say about that...
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Hi, it's debunking time again. Although this isn't really a debunk because this is like a nothing burger thing. I just wanted to laugh at this because it is absolutely hilarious. So you can call this the batshit, crazy, impractical idea of the week.

So let's have a look at it. Yes, it involves solar. Yes, it involves wind. And I've done a video debunking uh, wind power? the wind wall, uh, generator thing here, so I'll link that one in if you haven't seen it.

Dear, this is the Sun Plow because it's a combined solar panel and wind turbine. So it plows through this wind and sun. Get it? Um, it's a German thing tied to all my German viewers. renewable energy harvesting disruption.

It's disruptive. I don't think they have any financial backing. As I said, I think this is a complete nothing burger. So yeah, it's just fun to laugh at.

So let's have a look. Harvesting renewable energy using wind, solar, hydro, and tidal energy. They're trying to kill three birds with one stone as any good disruptive technology does. and then when we all know when you try and be a jack of all trades, it's a win-win and chicken dinner anyway.

Eco-friendly, low noise, and no bird, insect or fish cutting. Cut the birds and the fish. World's first inclined axes. Turbine propeller uses both lift and drag efficiently and reduces expensive and heavy mass costs.

In addition to that, propellers blades are flat. They're flat, which can be used for installing solar panels optional. Easy to manufacture in comparison to expensive 3d curved propellers. Those pesky curve propellers.

Why bother? It's reducing mass costs and requirements significantly. World's first truly win Plus Solar hybrid solution for powering mobile phone towers. And look at this. This is just stunning photoshop work here.

This is just absolutely amazing. So so disruptive propeller technology Breakthrough in fluid propulsion of both air and water more efficiently and effectively with Sunflower Propellers Drone And we'll get into the drone air taxi thing in a second. Um, they enable more efficient and dynamic propulsion than uh, voice. Schneider propellers bring disruption to boat ships and submarines.

So they're saying you can use this as a propeller to propel your boats along? Here it is. Apparently these are popular on like ferries and tugs and things like that. Uh, where they have to change direction. like get a lot of power and change direction of the thing.

And here's a little animated, uh, graphic. So the angle of the blades can like change in real time as it rotates and things like that so you can force it to. you know the boat can just you know move in any direction and stuff like that. So apparently these are a thing and they're claiming that the little piss ant thing here is you stick this in the water and it's gonna.

oh, this is great stuff. Um, they do have a wanky video. One hour solar energy reaches earth, sufficient for all human needs, Wind and stored energy, blah blah blah. Sunflower, blah blah blah oh it's all Look there there they are.
designing, designing. Oh yeah. invented and designed in Germany. It must work.

World's first inclined axis wind turbine. Look how fragile and pissant it looks. So they're changing the world's first true hybrid solar with wind solution. You're gonna go for break Like yeah.

just like try and kill all all markets at once. This is just great stuff. Anyway, Member of the World Alliance for Efficiency Solutions? That is actually a thing. There's lots of big names associated with that, like a thousands of companies.

Uh, signed up. so I guess it's pretty easy to. you know. Um, sign up the you pay your bucks.

And apparently they've demonstrated a prototype at the 24th. Uh. World Energy Congress Booth? Oh, I found it. I found their prototype.

Have a look at this receiver. Whoever. Um, they're probably one of the founders or whatever. There's a little prototype over there.

look isn't it cute? Major achievement so far. Well, we appeared at the end this congress with our booth with our little prototype. But check this out. This is their little Predator.

This is that little prototype. Oh my god. Oh no. Is that aerofoil shaped? It's not really.

It doesn't look really aero foil, but it's uh, it's They have no clue what they're doing. This pizza little thing, a little little off the shelf turbine probably. and they run it. look here it is.

Oh my God. This is embarrassing. I I haven't seen this yet. There's that.

Oh, they're killing it. Look at this. Oh, absolutely. Go.

Yes. Look at this. The fan. That fan's really rocking too.

That's really blowing it. It's just turning. They aren't even actively pitching those. I don't.

I don't think there's any active pitch in that at all. Look, there's not enough room in there to have any sort of like active. oh I guess you maybe you could had a pinch fitted in there, but like active pitch for each blade and they just looks like they've just stuck some blades into this top like a three does that like a 3d printed top or something. And and they just and that and that fan.

That industrial fan is really blowing a gale. Look at it, you can hear it. It's on the side like that, so it's not like they've got it specifically set up. Try and blow it directly into it or whatever.

or try and like it doesn't look like it even rotates or anything like that's just that's the front of time. This is great. So yeah, they're totally going to use this piece, that little thing to replace this voice Snyder propeller. Oh, look at that.

so powers, tugs and things That's that's beefy. Yeah, they're totally going to replace that. It's gotta be a joke. It's gotta be how it works, as the pitch of the propellers is synchronously varying while rotating dust on the blades of solar panel itself.
Cleaning: What a brilliant idea! It's the world's first true hybrid solar wind technology along with self-cleaning and self-calling panels because the cooler the panels are, the more efficient that they're going to operate. So having the wind spin the solar panels around, use them as the turbines. Genius thinking! It's possible to use a single, dual or quad single propeller configuration. Okay, dual or quad propellers? No, um, triple.

That's popular in the Uh in the turbine market. It's easy to adapt any wind direction. Your mechanism is simplified and more efficiently controlled, resilient to turbulence, and it is flexible with less stringent sight requirements. Many bad sites for standard wind turbines are good sites for Sunflowers.

Propeller scalable to any size. Supporting strings can be added for extra efficiency. You can. Mobile phone towers, remote highways, small medium scale kite power generation Tidal Hydro without a dam.

This is hilarious. Look at this. They claim I can use these for drones and air taxis I.e that take humans like glad to be able to spin these things and then change from vertical to horizontal flight. And I guess they think the solar panels are going to power the thing.

No risky hinges. Stable, simple and reliable vertical takeoff and landing. Long range similar to an airplane weight carrying capacity. Quietly moving with the air.

World's first directional thrust control propeller. During vertical takeoff landing, air is pushed down, providing vertical thrust. Easy Blades pitch is changed during operational change like the direction of the thrust. Just like the Osprey aircraft, right? It's simple, you just just done a few photoshop and Cad drawings and they've nailed it.

They've absolutely nailed it. Oh boy. Anyway, how batshit crazy is that? Um, there's nothing in about us I don't think, um so no, just wank wang birds and the bees. Yeah, good on you.

This is absolutely nuts. Now look as I've gone through, I've gone through the calculations, the uh, the wind power formula, and all sorts of stuff extensively in my wind power video. so if you want to go through that. But but the bottom line is is that you know even the best case due to Benz's law, the best case, power efficiency is 350 watts per square meter.

Let's figure out what they need to power a mobile phone tower like this. First of all, you can't just mount it on the top. You can't just mount a wind turbine on the top of the tower because then there's shear forces that even if we go over here, even uh, Alcatel Lucent, who know what the hell they're doing with base stations, They actually offer solutions for pairing base stations with wind and energy. It is a thing.

and they say here that uh, most turbine providers offer a 15 meter high mass, but a cell tower is 15 meters 50 meters high. And yes, the higher go you go up. technically, the better and more efficient that your wind turbine can be. You can catch more consistent wind and doesn't magically get more efficient.
You just get more consistent. Uh. wind as you go higher up, the wind is better at that height. although we sometimes have to strengthen the tower.

And like, you can't just retrofit a tower with what has to be a quite substantially sized generator. Now, how much power do you need to, uh, power a base station? Well, here's the R D Manager in Operations at Ericsson. So an assessment of four to six kilowatts per site with an average of five kilowatts would be okay. And I've confirmed that with other sources, like a real small tower will be like one or two kilowatts.

Something like that. Um, but yeah, let's let's run with five kilowatts. So you need five kilowatts of power. So what does a five kilowatt wind turbine look like? Well, they're actually quite large.

Let's have a look at this. Don't know if this is, you know, a legit five kilowatt one. I just found this video. They're quite large.

They're actually about six meters in diameter for a five kilowatt wind turbine. They're actually very large and the forces on them are quite large as well. So that's a typical horizontal uh wind turbine. We'll get into why horizontal in a minute.

Um, blade diameter 6.4 meters. So you know, like six, typically six meters diameter. Let's say that their whiz-bang thing here, even if they can get this thing to work which is ridiculous, these panels need to be. say like let's say, three meters long and I'm going to say like half a meter wide or something like that, right? So three meters by a half meter each panel.

Each solar panel is uh, 1.5 square meters. Now if you take like a new top of the range like Lg neon panel or something we're talking about like 210 or something watts per square meter. So really, you're only going to get like 300 watts, say out of something like that each one of those panels even if it is optimally, uh, angled towards the sun. Okay, but then because it's spinning around, let's say, even if this thing worked right, you'd be lucky to get like an on average one of these panels optimally facing the sun at all times as the thing spins around and the pitch changes.

and everything else right? This is just absolutely ridiculous. Why? And because they're flat? Okay, they claim here you know you don't need any of that pesky curved propeller. The reason that turbine blades are curved is because as I explained in this video, it helps capture the maximum amount of energy. It increases the surface area and slows the blades down and actually captures more of the wind energy.

which is 600 watts per square meter by the way, You cannot. That's the maximum amount by The laws of physics. the maximum amount of energy at, um, a certain air pressure. Uh, for example.
And then you've got Bettza's law, which basically halves that. Um, you know, like, 350 odd watts per square meter is the best that you can absolutely extract from the wind per square meter. That's why these wind turbines have to be sorry. Six meters diameter? Uh, total diameter to be able to extract five kilowatts from the wind.

They're quite large, So yes, you can't Just and decide. Oh, I'm not going to use a a aerofoil shaped turbine blade. I'm just going to make it flat because it can add solar to it. That's got to be a winner, right? You don't.

There's no, there's no physics. Why all wind turbines are actually shaped like aerofoils? Is there? No, No. There's nothing why they actually looked, uh, shaped like this and have an aerofoil shape. Unbelievable.

Like these people have absolutely no clue about. like even basic stuff you can calculations you do back of the envelope, and why turbine blades are shaped like they are. They think they are. No, no, we just make them flat.

And and because they're flat, we can put solar panels on them. Unbelievable. Like, you can probably get this thing to spin like. maybe? it's certainly not.

It's gonna be piss-poor at extracting energy from the wind because you can't just make the blades flat. Anyway, it's all fluid dynamics and how it works. Your air is essentially a fluid because the wind equation. By the way, the wind equation works the same in air as it does in water fluid.

Um, it's It's essentially the same thing. So yeah, it's This is just ridiculous. So you'd be lucky to get like a couple hundred watts total out of this thing. Total Wind and solar.

which got like three meter long blades or whatever. Come on. Even if this thing was able to spin right, you have to continuously dynamically change the angle of the blades to get efficient wind. And then that's not going to be efficient for collecting solar power.

so you're trading one off against the other. It's just ridiculous. A complete and utter hilarious gimmick. Like you would think this is a troll, right? like I.

This is something I would do as like an April Fool's joke. Absolutely incredible. but I think they're serious. Graphene 800 Bologna Batterizer.

Anyone remember that? Whatever. What the hell happened to the batterizer or whatever it's called Now son. the drone propeller technology and we can make this work as a drone. Look, Look, look at this.

Look at this spinning sideway. Look at this count. Oh yeah, yeah. this bad boy is going to work these piss ant little arms with these flat solar solar panels.

Oh My. God. No. I.

I do like their logo though. I like how the shift in the blades goes around. Oh boy. this is just like a poo.

What? What? I don't. I worship the sun Source of all And oh, and the owner of this universe. Okay, okay Bob, it's an inclined axis wind turbine. Okay, there's basically two types.
There's horizontal like these ones, and which is what almost all wind turbines are. You can actually buy vertical ones Like you can get vertical wind turbines like these and so you know, some people have success with them. This is a five kilowatt one by the way. and this has got three meter long uh blades on it and they're curved on this straight rubbish.

and that is flat rubbish. And you know, vertical wind turbines are all the rage Like a while back. Like helix technology. They you know, like 13 years ago, back in like 2007, there are all the rays.

They got all this huge investment money and then they just went bunk. And if you look at uh, some of the articles about it and this National Geographic article on why, uh, this company failed doubts about vertical. why do we keep repeating the same mistakes? The same mistake being vertical wind turbines versus horizontal ones. No vertical axis company has survived in the marketplace for any length of time or long-term success.

Or wind electric manufacturers use horizontal axis designs. This is because they work so yeah, like you can get these vertical axis uh ones to work. but they're just like, yeah, like horizontal works better for many reasons. Anyway, I just want to point this out because if you want to power a mobile phone tower from wind and solar, you can.

You could put a vertical axis or even a horizontal axis one. But as we saw here with Uh ones that are actually um, you know, installed, they've got combination of solar and here we go. They've got combination of solar and horizontal axis wind turbines. This is actually powering a mobile phone uh, tower nearby.

So you know this is a thing powering mobile phone towers with solar and wind. but you do it with like traditional flat solar like this. like you could whack five kilowatts worth of solar panels if you really want to do it. like even on the sides like this, you just angle like all the way down.

Uh, the thing. you could like power it from that and have a wind turbine down below on. If you've got room on the ground because there's always for safety reasons, there's always like a uh marked off area around any decent mobile uh phone tower that you can't enter. This has to be like this has all the hallmarks of a troll or April Fool's joke.

It really does. but I I think possibly they're serious. so please leave it in the comments if I've been had and this is actually a you know, somebody's joke or whatever. But um, yeah.

and the drone, the drone. It's an air taxi, We can. You'll be flying around with these things with these solar panels and these flat blade you know, inclined. what do they call it incline? uh, propeller system.

Anyway, that's it. That's gotta be the most batshit crazy idea of the week. I mean, they just keep coming. Um, so thank you to uh, the viewer who um, sent this one in because this is just.
it's just worth a worth a laugh. Really. So yeah, please leave your comments down below. Have you seen anything more batshit crazy? But hey, if you're gonna go, if you're gonna be disruptive, you know, go for broke and uh, try and smash all three markets with weight in one go.

Your inclined axes wind turbine propeller catch you next time you.

Avatar photo

By YTB

22 thoughts on “Eevblog #1321 – sunplower – dumbest idea since solar roadways!”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Okaro says:

    Again why? Why put the solar panels in the blades. Why not have them separately?

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Simon Templar says:

    Nerd laugh. Obviously why they only have graphics and no working version.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bhargava yadlapati says:

    Some of you might not believe what I’m about to say and that is ok. My uncle and his friend invented this windmill. When I was in India during June-July 2023 my uncle Raghu Mama demonstrated and explained its applications. It’s unlike anything thats been invented and it’s truly something marvelous.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars General Jack Ripper says:

    I don't know what's worse, the stupid idea, or the stupid people who fall for it.
    The Wright brothers are spinning in their graves.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Drew Durant says:

    I love this lol.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Markus says:

    The whole "wind energy kills birds and insects" stems from alt-right campaigning…

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jim Martin says:

    OK, it's disruptive, I'll grant you. But is it nimble? Is it robust?

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Glauco Rocha says:

    Dave, I've got to say that every time I think a previous roast of yours was brutal, you always get to break your own records in this area.

    Geez, I surely DO NOT want to be under Dave's fire line when he's in his bullshit technology hunter mood.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Shamandrux says:

    I would love to use it as a clothes dryer on my terrace!

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars joppe peelen says:

    the 5kw turbine acording to you 350 watts a square meter would result ir give or take 3.5kw…. so that one will not manage either

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Timmy says:

    Past decade's three biggest issue in R&D are:
    – The engineers work (calculations, schematics, code, …) is incomprehensible for management and investors.
    – The designers deliver fancy 3D simulations that amazes management and investors with unrealistic expectations.
    – Most of today's managers have bigger ego's than ever before in history, so they decide to believe their designers rather than their engineers.

    End result:
    – Designers playing engineers!

    Which then eventually results in:
    – Solar roadways
    – Theranos
    – Hyperloop
    – Zero Mass Water
    – SunPlower
    – Self filling water bottles
    – Waterseer
    – Juicero
    – And so on…

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ričardas Šukniis says:

    I managed to watch just the 11 minutes waiting until you will point out construction problems and why it won't work. What a waste of time. Just title your videos of this kind with prefix "ranting about …" so that I would not bother to watch.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Markiss Boi says:

    You can put a wind energy turbine on Parliment windows & collect more Hot air bullchit per sqt mtr 🤔
    We know the Total cost of manufacturing engery equipment used to make wind solar engery
    the electricty & fuel used transport people data adds up = the recouip of free engery FREE but wait a dam sec it cost you $25k 10 years L8tr 😲
    The best ones are the water turbines in a river 24/7 cost can be $5k depends if you make your own $1,500 & battery station + 240vlt converter etc

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Pablo Picaro says:

    energy calculation: Fan on floor consuming = 500 watts. SunPlower generation from wind rotation = 5 mw (expected). energy efficiency = 0.001%

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars The Spamdalorian says:

    The real free energy is harvesting 5g rays with a 5g converter panel

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars William Day says:

    This looks like a junior high school science project – probably got lucky and took 5th place just because of the convincing website.

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars PowerScissor says:

    You guys laugh, I get it. But I was sent some pre-release 6" versions for testing and review. I put them on my drone with no battery, just a small 850maH to run the flight controller and radio link. Well these bad boys created so much power that I couldn't descend. It just flew away under it's own power, never to be seen again.

  18. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bardrick says:

    At least it's not as bad as Solar Freaking Roadways! I guess you could paste flex cells onto a conventional turbine for bonus power, but I don't think they'd last too long; the wind and dust tend to abrade the leading edges!

  19. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars scot shabalam says:

    You really don't want your plane to stop or go in reverse, that's bad.

  20. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars GbX Music Channel says:

    If we stack alot of them on Trumps wall we can use the solar panels to store the energy in batteries.

    The energy can be used for important things like spinning the blades 24/7.

  21. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bart says:

    "Photoshop" Dave.. I think you are giving them to much credit.

  22. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Gacheru Mburu says:

    🤦🤦🤦🤦

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