Science Fiction Dictionary
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z

 

Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine

The Heat Waver is supposedly the very first combination wind turbine AND solar collector ever made. It is not the first time anyone ever THOUGHT of such a thing, however.


(Heat Waver Combination Solar Collector And Wind Turbine)

Is the first photovoltaic turbine in history causing a strange effect on the environment? Before analyzing the impact that this innovation has had on the environment, it is necessary to understand that this is a photovoltaic turbine that utilizes a hybrid energy generator responsible for combining solar and wind power. Called the Heat Waver, this novel structure seems to be living up to its name whilst keeping energy outputs constant despite low wind periods. This photovoltaic turbine can turn its photovoltaic rotor itself into a source of solar energy, but recent reports show somewhat of the strange side effects that this turbine has on the atmosphere.

The Heat Waver is said to break the expectations of what turbines can do. The Heat Wave has rotor blades lined with photovoltaic materials similar to those of solar panels. Conventional wind turbines, on the other hand, depend solely on kinetic energy from the wind to turn the blades that power the generator. The advantage is that The Heat Waver can continue harnessing the sun’s energy even when the wind slows down, as the blades can convert sunlight into energy.
(Via ecoticias.)

Science fiction writer Simpson Stokes wrote a story called Down on the Farm, published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1937, that described a hybrid wind-solar device. He called it a wind-suncatcher:


(Wind-Suncatcher from 'Down on the Farm' by Simpson Stokes)

Farmer Geary watched the Nibbler at work. He saw beyond it the vast three-storied acreages of his Multiple-Crop “Flats,” incongruously tilted on the side of Durdleberry Slopes in the distance. The bizarre shadow of the combined Wind-Suncatcher, like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise on a rotating mast, slanted across the meadow.

“This is good,” said Geary, rubbing his hands. “This is fine.”

Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 5/29/2025)

Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.

| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |

Would you like to contribute a story tip? It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add it here.

Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )

Related News Stories - (" Engineering ")

China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'

Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.' - Neal Stephenson, 1995.

Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.' - Simpson Stokes, 1937.

Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.' - Charles Stross, 2007.

 

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's   1950's
1960's   1970's
1980's   1990's
2000's   2010's

Current News

LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'

Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'

Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'

When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'

China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'

Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'

Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'

Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'

Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.

Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'

Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
'...like a spray of tulips mounted fanwise.'

Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
'You hate the whole idea that some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life... in his hands.'

Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
'My homeland is being threatened by the Replicators. Thus far all attempts to stop them have failed.'

Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
'A robobus had just rolled up to the curb.'

Scary Grid Safety Robots
'The ultimate horror for our paranoid culture...'

Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
'And there in the next room by the sofa sat a familiar suitcase, that of his psychiatrist Dr. Smile.'

More SF in the News Stories

More Beyond Technovelgy science news stories

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.