"Christopher Mims" - Solar-powered wind turbines not just a joke
April 11, 2011 http://www.grist.org/list/2011-04-07-solar-powered-wind-turbines-not-just-a-joke
April fools led to a bunch of fake posts that made us die a little inside, and at least one that seemed like kind of a good idea: the solar-powered wind turbine.
Turns out that the notion of harvesting the maximum amount of energy from the immediate environment is good enough that the combo of solar and wind power actually exists! And the U.S. military is all up in its grill. Because nothing says “we should start producing our own power” like losing yet another fuel convoy to insurgents.
Its maker, SkyBuilt systems, just won an Edison Award for the awesomeness of this product. You ready? Here’s how the SkyStation Containerized Power System works:
Step one: Cut a hole in a box.
Step two: Put a battery and wind- and solar-based power generating capacity in the box.
Step three: Make the military, DHS, telecom companies, international aid groups, or anyone who needs power at a remote location open the box.