Greenbird
Encyclopedia
The Ecotricity
Greenbird is a wind-powered vehicle that broke the land speed record for the fastest wind-powered vehicle at the dry Ivanpah Lake on March 26, 2009. It was built by the British
engineer Richard Jenkins
. The Greenbird reached a peak speed of 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h).
It uses a rigid vertical wing, instead of the conventional sail, to generate thrust, in the same manner that the wing of an aeroplane generates lift. The only metal in the vehicle is in the wheels and the wing bearings; the remainder is made of carbon composite materials. The yacht weighs about six hundred kilograms. According to Jenkins, the light weight and aerodynamic shape of the vehicle allows it to attain speeds three to five times faster than the speed of the wind. The Greenbird is the fifth in a series of wind-powered land vehicles that Jenkins had constructed in his efforts to break the speed record.
, broke the record for the fastest speed attained by wind-powered vehicle, having reached a maximum velocity of 126.1 miles per hour (202.9 kilometres per hour), with wind speeds at about 30 mph. The Greenbird broke the old record of 116.7 mph, which had been set set by Bob Schumacher in March 1999 in his Iron Duck, at the same location. Jenkins said he had been trying to break the record for the past ten years in different locations, such as Australia
, Britain
, and the United States
, but weather conditions were not suitable for him to reach maximum speeds.
Ecotricity
Ecotricity is a green energy company based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England specialising in selling and generating wind power. It is built on the principle of heavily reinvesting its profit in building more of its own windfarms.-History:...
Greenbird is a wind-powered vehicle that broke the land speed record for the fastest wind-powered vehicle at the dry Ivanpah Lake on March 26, 2009. It was built by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer Richard Jenkins
Richard Jenkins (British engineer)
Richard Jenkins is a 32-year-old engineer from Lymington, UK. He is known for engineering and sailing wind driven vessels on land, ice, and water. In 1999, he founded the Windjet Project while studying Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College...
. The Greenbird reached a peak speed of 126.1 mph (202.9 km/h).
Construction
The Greenbird is a land yacht that is described as being "a very high performance sailboat".It uses a rigid vertical wing, instead of the conventional sail, to generate thrust, in the same manner that the wing of an aeroplane generates lift. The only metal in the vehicle is in the wheels and the wing bearings; the remainder is made of carbon composite materials. The yacht weighs about six hundred kilograms. According to Jenkins, the light weight and aerodynamic shape of the vehicle allows it to attain speeds three to five times faster than the speed of the wind. The Greenbird is the fifth in a series of wind-powered land vehicles that Jenkins had constructed in his efforts to break the speed record.
Speed record
On March 26, 2009, the Greenbird, driven by Richard Jenkins at the dry Ivanpah Lake in NevadaNevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, broke the record for the fastest speed attained by wind-powered vehicle, having reached a maximum velocity of 126.1 miles per hour (202.9 kilometres per hour), with wind speeds at about 30 mph. The Greenbird broke the old record of 116.7 mph, which had been set set by Bob Schumacher in March 1999 in his Iron Duck, at the same location. Jenkins said he had been trying to break the record for the past ten years in different locations, such as Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but weather conditions were not suitable for him to reach maximum speeds.