Optiwind Accelerating Wind Turbine Taps New Energy Fields
Posted By Ariel Schwartz On May 6, 2009 @ 10:00 am In Renewable Energy,Wind Power | 4 Comments
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Traditional three-blade turbines [5] are great if you have lots of space to play with, but the Optiwind Compact Wind Accelerating Turbine [6] is ideal for high-density [7], low-wind areas. The turbine’s series of small, five bladed fans funnel in wind [8]and accelerate it, thereby cranking up wind speeds to generate more power [9].
At six meters in diameter, the Optiwind’s blades are also significantly shorter than traditional turbine [10]blades, which often extend to 80 meters. That means the turbine can be used in areas that don’t have much space to spare, like schools [11], hospitals, and hotels [12]. Still, potential sites should have 3.5 acres of open land available to comply with local zoning laws
The Optiwind’s design reminds us of the Jellyfish [13]vertical axis wind turbine, but while the 36-inch tall Jellyfish is suited for households, the 200-foot tall Optiwind is meant for bigger structures. Optiwind’s 150 kilowatt model is meant for buildings that use $35,000 of electricity [14]each year, and the 300 kilowatt model works for operations that require $75,000 of energy or more.
NIMBYs may protest that the Optiwind is unsightly and doesn’t belong in high-density areas, but at least the turbine isn’t very noisy [15]–unlike most other wind [16] turbine models.
+ Optiwind [6]
Via Build Baby Build [17]
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URL to article: http://inhabitat.com/optiwind-accelerating-wind-turbine-taps-new-fields/
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[3] Email: mailto:?subject=http://inhabitat.com/optiwind-accelerating-wind-turbine-taps-new-fields/
[4] Image: http://www.inhabitat.com/?p=27010
[5] three-blade turbines: http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/07/02/floating-wind-turbines-in-the-north-sea/
[6] Optiwind Compact Wind Accelerating Turbine: http://optiwind.com
[7] high-density: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/19/fujimori-tea-house/
[8] wind : http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/21/k3-charger-solar-and-wind-power-to-go/
[9] power: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/30/energy-101-what-is-a-smart-grid/
[10] turbine : http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/03/31/greenbird-wind-powered-vehicle-breaks-world-record/
[11] schools: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/09/solar-powered-wembley-student-housing-tower/
[12] hotels: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/02/abu-dhabis-spiraling-helix-hotel/
[13] Jellyfish : http://www.clariantechnologies.com/main/page_plugin_wind_power.html
[14] electricity : http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/28/chicago-unveils-first-solar-plug-in-charging-station/
[15] isn’t very noisy: http://optiwind.com/faqs.html#q11
[16] wind: http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/04/16/loopwing-wind-powered-toy-car/
[17] Build Baby Build: http://www.buildbabybuild.com/uncategorized/optiwind-compact-wind-accelerating-turbine
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