Urban wind turbines

We love the idea of wind power. It's clean, it's sustainable; however, until recently, putting a windmill on the rooftop just hasn't been a realistic energy solution for the average homeowner.

While still not as talked about or as popular as photovoltaic cells, urban wind turbines are coming on strong. Just two weeks ago, Ben Storan of Galway, Ireland, took home the first place prize in the BSI (British Standards Institute) Sustainability Design Awards for his collapsible, shape shifting, personal wind turbine.

His turbine, unlike the ones we are used to seeing, uses vertical rather than horizontal rotations, which gives it a slower rotation speed, allowing it to capture more energy.

It is quiet, collapsible (to withstand harsh weather) and lightweight. And, according to a press release from BSI, Ben’s design should produce 3 times the amount of energy that personal wind turbines currently on the market are able to produce.

Ben hopes that his design will be in production in the near future, which is good news to us, because we want one, and soon.

via EcoGeek.org