Eye-Catching New Windmill Designs

Eye-Catching New Windmill Designs ENERGY Wind Power 32-1-16 A variety of innovative new windmill designs will soon be available, for use in the city and on the farm. Here's a roundup of some of the most interesting new designs, courtesy the Australian magazine ReNew (www.ata.org.au). Loopwing Twice the torque at half the rpm of conventional three-bladed horizontal axis machines. The self limiting turbine starts at a lower speed and produces less noise. It is just under 5 ft. long, produces 438 watts in 26.8 mph wind, and is priced at $12,700. Two kW and five kW models are being introduced. www.loopwing.co.jp Solwind Vertical blade and axis, quiet running wind turbines in 4 kW and 6 kW models designed for use close to homes. Aluminum, fiberglass and stainless steel components in the blades provide durability, while a new alternator with magnetic bearings reduces maintenance. www.solwind.co.nz Quiet Revolution Spiral, Darrieus style rotor with tapered blades that start easily and run quietly. Rated at 6kW, the 16 ft., 4-in. high rotor is priced at more than $50,0000. www.quietrevolution.co.uk Aerotechture This Savonius style, drag type, spiral rotor will be available in vertical and horizontal models. The unique turbine is designed to be mounted on top of buildings and across the peaks of roofs. www.aerotecture.com Cleanfield Currently available in North America, the vertical axis, straight-blade turbine produces 3.5 kW at 28 mph. Reinforced fiberglass blades are mounted on a rotor 9-ft. in diameter by 9-ft. 10 in. high. www.cleanfieldenergy.com Alternative Energie Rigid cup-type "blades", low speed, vertical axis windmill is designed to be low noise and safe to birds and people. www.aes-energie.de Mag-Wind The MW-1100 turbine is designed to be mounted on a roof to capture the increased wind caused as the roof funnels it upwards. The low speed turbine is only 4 ft. tall by 4 ft. at the base, yet rated at 1100kW/month in a 9 mph wind. It can handle speeds of up to 100 mph and low temperatures. www.mag-wind.com Motorwind These wind farm panels of small turbines are clustered in sets of 8 (50w) or 20 (170w) with each set driving a single small generator. The plastic bladed turbines are designed for low-cost production and easy installation. www.motorwavegroup.com/new/motorwind Windside Savonius type spiral vane, vertical turbines start up at speeds as low as 2 1/4 mph, yet continue to safely produce electricity at wind speeds of or as high as 135 mph. www.windside.com Aerojoule Low speed, drag type turbine looks like an old-style windmill but is updated with microprocessor controls. Available in sizes from 1.5 to 65kW. www.aerojoule.com Ropatec Available in multiple sizes, this vertical axis design with large rigid blades is designed to produce energy during storm gusts, yet starts up at winds of less than 7 mph. www.ropatec.com

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