Wind generators from a different perspective

Now this is thinking outside the box. They arent the best looking, but neither are those huge wind mill looking generators. And they don't seem to be taking up valuable space on your property.

The wife and I have been seriously thinking about alternative energy to keep our monthly bill down. Not that Im going to slap a setup like this on our house, but its good to now there are now more and more alternatives to obtaining clean energy.

http://www.aerotecture.com/projects_mlh.html

i seen a discovery program on this guys stuff a few months back i think it said that they could produce power in less than a 5 mph wind as opposed to a regular wind turbine that requires 15-20 mph.


edit>sorry just read the specs and they reccomend 10mph constants for them

I would love to be able to put in a wind generator but don't think my HOA would allow it. Middle Tennessee isn't a very windy place, but for some reason, where our house is we get a pretty constant breeze. I don't think it sustains the necessary 10mph needed though. There are developments in the market though that is making it conceivable for low wind areas to supplement their energy usage with wind generators.

One of the neatest I've see is from this company. It is a vertical axis wind turbine so it doesn't need to be facing into the wind and uses fewer parts. Also it uses magnetic levitation to minimize friction and allows the turbine to move in very slight winds. It has an added benefit in that roof dynamics can actually make it work more efficiently by increasing the wind velocity.

Here is a video of a prototype on the roof of a barn with only a 3mph wind.

Don't forget, the cross-section of any wind turbine is critical in determining power output. Small size = small output. Vertical axis turbines have been around for a long time, they have some advantages. After non-directionality, being able to put the heavy generator at the bottom is major. Minuses include bracing the top, many verticals are not self-starting and the portion close to the ground gets very little wind.

I've never lived anywhere (except as a child) where wind power made sense.

Vindaloo is a great wind generator.

















sorry.

cool link! they seem to have a pretty neat setup.