It’s kind of interesting how we humans get caught up in using the same old designs over and over again. Just consider the propeller concept. They use them on planes and boats and fans, and even water pumps. So, naturally when we started to consider using wind power, we chose the propeller design. But that wasn’t being truly innovative, since we were piggy-backing on previous technology to advance a new technology. So, as we might expect, wind power technology is advancing beyond the propeller.

This innovation in wind turbine designs is helping to fix the issues associated with propeller wind turbines that keep them from being popular for certain applications – namely tower height and noise. Many, not all, wind turbines need to be 100 feet in the air and besides being noisy, they are dangerous to birds and bats. These issues are most easily accepted for large installations that power thousands of homes, but when it comes to wind turbines for individual home and business use, these issues are immense, especially when you consider zoning rules.

So, here is an example of a turbine that costs less than $8000 that is powering a 4,700 square foot house on Chicago’s North Side. The design of this wind generator uses the spiral surfaces of its blades to channel air-flow from all directions. The company claims this model, the S322, is easy to install and fits both urban, and off-grid environments. It has an estimated 30-year lifespan, has a 4′ by 8′ rotor, and will cut-in with an eight mile per hour breeze. If you are off-grid you’ll need to hook it up to a battery system, otherwise it generates electricity whenever the wind is strong enough to turn it, and then feeds that power to your home or business. If you have an electrical service company that reimburses for excess energy then you sell it back when the generator produces more than you use. Among other considerations, the company lists having electrical cost greater than $0.15 per kWhr as a determining factor in deciding if this system is right for you. But, kWhr costs aside, if you would just like to be a little more energy self-sufficient the minimum mast height of 15 feet means this wind generator fits a lot of potential locations.

No doubt you’re going to start seeing builders making these systems options on many buildings.

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