One thing we have learnt this week – the Moya

wind turbine in France from below bladesIn my last post we looked at the South African energy crisis -in this post we look at one innovation to come out of this, the Moya.  From wind in Xhosa the Moya is a wind harvesting sheet. Looking more fashion statement than a renewable energy device Moya is made of a type of material that when its stressed generates electricity.  The material is encased in plastic as tiny filaments.  The electrical energy is then passed to a capacitor before use.  The Moya collects small amounts of energy in the same way that rain falls on a surface and is currently about 10% as efficient as a solar panel.  Where it scores is that it can be put where solar PV or normal wind turbines cannot go such as inside tunnels or very shaded roofs.  Its easy to see it being fixed to the sides of tall buildings such as skyscrapers or on underground railways.  The Moya is an interesting idea and whilst its never going to solve any energy crisis on its own its undoubtedly a small part of the solution.  Further development is required and its about 5-10 years from commercial deployment.

Neil

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