Going Green: Power generating wind turbine
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Very soon, a new power generating wind turbine will sit atop this building as a demonstration project to bring this renewable energy resource into urban use.
“This roof is the future site of a new vertical access wind turbine we're putting on campus to help generate energy and test a new product,” said Michael Kelleher, Director of Renewable Energy System, ESF.
We have predominantly a southwesterly to westerly wind so there are not a lot of obstructions. It's a good test site for an urban setting.
This is a Powersail vertical wind turbine that will be installed on the roof of the five story building. It's eight by eight, weighs 300 pounds and starts producing power with a wind of three miles per hour.
“This unit is perfect for urban environments for several reasons. One, it's virtually silent. You can't hear it so that overcomes noise restrictions. Two, it operates with minimal vibrations so rooftop installation is easier and the unit is aesthetically pleasing,” said TriciaRae Davis, Impact Technologies.
But the artwork like design also serves a purpose and draws upon an age-old method for harnessing wind power.
“Wind comes from multiple directions; it comes up the walls, over other roofs so you have to take that into consideration. One way to do that is with sails. It's an old technology but sails really harness the wind,” said Raymond Davis, President and CEO, Impact Technologies.
And unlike other wind turbines, strong winds aren't a problem.
“You look at the most of the horizontals (wind turbines) and even some of the verticals, they're cutting out at 40 or 50 miles per hour. Ours has actually been tested in winds of over 90 miles an hour so we don't have to shut down in those high wind speeds,” said Davis.
Since the unit only weighs 300 pounds most rooftops can handle it.
Whether it's a home and a peak type roof so there are braces that disperse the weight even more while all commercial businesses have the infrastructure to handle it. In fact, most air conditioning units weigh a lot more than the wind turbine itself.