Eventually, we’ll be squeezing renewable energy out of every possible source we can – especially from rooftops in urban areas. Adobe Systems is at the forefront of this trend, having just installed building integrated wind turbines atop its headquarters in downtown San Jose, CA. Their 20 new Windspire vertical axis turbines are affixed on the 6th floor of the parking garage of their office complex, which also happens to be LEED certified. The electricity generated from the turbines will eventually power an electric vehicle charging station in the garage below as well as the famous San Jose Semaphore!
Mariah Power is the maker of the Windspire, which weighs about 650 lbs, stands 30 feet tall and has a rating of 1.2 kW. Adobe installed 20 of these turbines around its employee basketball court at the top of its parking garage. Surrounded on either side by two Adobe office towers, a wind tunnel effect is created above the garage and gets average wind speeds of 14 mph. Adobe and Mariah Power expect that each of the turbines will generate about 2,500 kWh annually, totaling up to 50,000 kWh for the whole system.
While building integrated wind energy systems are certainly not as efficient as a large scale wind farm, they certainly have their merits, and work perfectly for a situation like the one at Adobe. The Windspire has a clean design and looks no more out of place than parking lights would. And with the tax credits going on right now for renewable energy technology, it’s a smart time to build out a system. Adobe is also currently into installing more Windspire turbines at its San Francisco office.
Via Jetson Green
5 Responses to “Adobe Headquarters Installs 20 Vertical Axis Wind Turbines”
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I wonder if this design kills fewer birds than conventional designs. Have any studies been done on this? Dead pigeons wouldn’t be good for PR, and a dead falcon would be worse. And are these things quiet? I realize that basketball certainly isn’t…
From the San Jose Mercury News “The turbines rotate in near-silence. Knox said their “bird-friendly” design was also an important consideration, since peregrine falcons and other species are known to visit the buildings.”
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