Using Fish Schooling to Improve Wind Farm Performance

Vertical axis type systems, such as merry-go-rounds, can be mathematically represented similarly to fish schools./nDesigning wind farms with a fish school type of orientation could improve their performance./nPreliminary calculations show that using smaller vertical axis wind turbines could result in 10 times more energy production on the same plot of land compared to conventional wind turbines./nThe theoretical concept was put into practice at Caltech by purchasing land during the 08-09 market crash for a relatively low cost.