Wind energy has the potential to power the world, but only if we rethink how we harness it. Traditional wind turbines are massive, expensive and require vast open spaces. Cities, factories and commercial buildings have been left out of the clean energy revolution, but what if we could bring wind power directly to where it's needed without massive turbines? Dr. Carsten Westergaard, Founder and CTO of Aeromine Technologies, is ready to discuss a new future for wind energy.
🎧 Episode HighlightsÂ
[00:00] Podcast Begins
[01:02] Why is Wind Energy Struggling? Urban wind tackles size solutionsÂ
[06:03] Aeromine vs Traditional Wind: When wind energy meets commercial spaces
[10:50] What’s the ROI? Wind turbines prove their worth in the energy revolution
[13:15] Early Inspiration for Aeromine: A Texas Tech University origin story
[17:49] Wind & Solar Working Together? Coexisting in the energy transition space
[26:06] Wide Adoption for Energy Impact: What it takes to impact carbon emissionsÂ
🔑 Key Takeaways
Texas, a Wind Energy Capital? “Nobody knows Texas has a lot of wind energy, everybody thinks it’s in California,” Carsten jokes, poking holes in the misconception that Texas is only oil and gas powered. “[Texas] has the space for it, we have the need for more power, and it’s actually a cheap solution if you invest in the infrastructure.”
What Makes Aeromine Work? “We haven’t used any exotic parts or anything, we’re using an industrial fan that’s designed a little bit differently,” Carsten explains. Urban wind solutions require smaller moving parts to avoid excessive noise and movement.
Can Wind & Solar Coexist? “Space-wise, we can be there together, we can coexist,” Carsten says, explaining how wind and solar energy can be used in the same locations to impact energy. “Seasonally, they compliment each other. It balances out to two systems of equal energy provision.”Â
👤 Guest Spotlight
Carsten Westergaard:
Dr. Carsten H. Westergaard is the Founder and CTO of Aeromine Technologies. Dr. Westergaard has 30 years of international industrial experience in wind energy R&D and product development with some of the largest wind companies in the world including LM Wind Power and Vestas Wind Systems. He has participated in innovative projects building and testing utility scale wind turbines with leading companies as well as research projects with leading organizations, such as the Danish Technical University and Sandia National Laboratories.
Dr. Westergaard formulated Aeromine’s patented technology during his tenure as Professor of Practice at Texas Tech University, where he taught wind energy technology at a graduate level. He has served in numerous advisory board positions and chaired international reviews of large multi-year government research programs in several countries. He has been published in more than 100 publications and developed 30 patents/pending.
Connect with Carsten:
LinkedIn: Carsten Westergaard
Websites: Aeromine Technologies, Inc. | aerominetechnologies.com
🌟 Resources & Links
• Explore past episodes: https://www.ftf.show
• Learn about Softeq: https://www.softeq.com
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