From costly installations to strict city ordinances, there’s a numberof factors that have limited the growth of wind power in urbanenvironments. Now, Aerovironmentis ushering in an era of urban wind power with a sleek series of small,silent turbines that eschew the need for a tower. Dubbed ‘ArchitecturalWind’, the system seamlessly integrates into the parapets of buildings,taking advantage of aerodynamics to catch wind as its speed escalatesup a structure’s side. The turbine’s innovative approach boasts up to a30% increase in energy production, and their adaptable, modularassembly makes installation a snap.Aerovironment’s website states: “Architectural Wind is designed toinstall easily onto the building parapet, operating in plain sight asan attractive complement to the building’s architecture. Additionally,based on its proprietary system design, Architectural Wind turbinesrotate at low wind speeds, resulting in a form of ‘kineticarchitecture’ that communicates clearly the generation of clean energy. Working alone or in tandem with other renewable energy technologies, Architectural Wind is designed to offer an attractive ROI and cost per kW of installed capacity.”Installations have little or no structural impact upon existingbuildings and are easily scalable starting at 6KW. Each module weighsapproximately 200 pounds, measures 4 feet tall by 4 feet wide, andfeatures a bird screen.We’re excited to find more and more microturbinescropping up in the alternative energy world, since they offer a varietyof advantages over traditional turbine towers, especially in urbanapplications.
www.inhabitat.com/2008/06/10/architectural-wind-modular-wind-turbines/