I love this idea. The problem with many wind turbine installations has been the NIMBY it fosters in local communities. The large turbines, destroy the view, make too much noise and cost too much. Those are the usual complaints. We have a major wind project held up along the cape cod coast for exactly these reasons.
Well what if commercial buildings incorporated the vertical designed turbine described below ? What if cites incorporated these units into there power systems (think electrical distribution poles), or into there signage throughout the city? What if billboard owners put these units on there billboards (especially the display units with leds)?
These seem much less obtrusive than other wind turbines, they can capture the wind from any direction, they are quieter than traditional. Yes, they produce less energy than many of the bigger units, but this is a volume game here. Hopefully with mass production would come lower per unit costs. Some Specs on the big selling unit;
| Physical dimensions | 5m high x 3.1m in diameter |
quietrevolution will also save around .42kg of carbon dioxide per kilowatt hour of energy generated. In the example above this would equate to 4,200kg per year or 105,000kg over the design life of the turbine. |
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| Generator | Direct drive, mechanically integrated,weather sealed 6kW permanent magnet generator | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power control | Peak power tracking constantly optimises turbine output for all sites and windspeeds | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operation mode | Max wind speed: 16m/s; Min wind speed: 4m/s | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Design life | 25 years (annual inspections recommended) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rotor construction | Carbon fibre and epoxy resin blades and connection arms | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Brake and shutdown | Overspeed braking above 14m/s wind speed, auto shutdown in high wind speeds (above 16m/s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Roof mounting | Minimum recommended height above buildings: 3m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tower mounting | Minimum mast height: 9m to bottom of blades. Demountable models are also available for temporary installations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Remote monitoring | Event log can be accessed via PC. Remote monitoring stores operation and kW hours of electricity generated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warranty | Two years on components | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of turbine | £25,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Installation cost | Around £5,000 – £10,000 depending on the site. Not including mounting/foundations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Some cool examples of installations at their site http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/
