A journey through the evolution of the most spectacular wind turbines designs in the world

Looking for an environmentally friendly energy source while looking gracious, aesthetic and beautiful? This article is a journey through the evolution of the most spectacular WIND TURBINES DESIGNS in the world.

The answer is blowing in the wind! Wind turbines float in the air, some rotate horizontally, others vertically. Some are lighter-than-air while others are majestically integrated into skyscraper buildings. The sheer assortment of wind turbine designs to be found around us in this world is simply breathtaking. Wherever the wind is blowing, an amazing wind turbine design is not far away and standing proud for admiration while generating clean energy for us almost silently.

Below is a selection of pictures and descriptions of some of the most spectacular & truly ambitious wind turbine designs of this millennium…whose scope & promise could pave the way for the much greater harnessing of wind energy. This collection of some of the world’s most amazing wind turbine designs together with high-level descriptions (and accomplished with a beautiful wind poem) was compiled for the enjoyment of all you wind power enthusiasts in mind.

WIND TURBINES DESIGNS – The World’s Most Amazing Windmills Designs

We are starting this picture series with a small selection of beautiful images of historical and traditional windmill and wind turbine designs and will finish with the most spectacular high tech inventions of this century. An amazing journey through the evolution of the most spectacular wind turbine designs ever. Enjoy!

Wind Turbine 1888 by Charles Brush

charles_brush-wind-turbine

Charles F. Brush’s 60 foot, the 80,000-pound turbine that supplied 12kW of power to 350 incandescent lights, 2 arc lights, and a number of motors at his home for 20 years. It today is believed to be the first automatically operating wind turbine for electricity generation and was built in the winter of 1887 – 1888 in his backyard and is without a doubt one of the first outstanding wind turbines designs created. Its rotor was 17 meters in diameter. The large rectangular shape to the left of the rotor is the vane, used to move the blades into the wind. The Dynamo turned 50 times for every revolution of the blades and charged a dozen batteries each with 34 cells. For scale, note gardener pushing lawnmower underneath and to the right of the turbine.

“I hear the howl of the wind that brings

The long drear storm on its heavy wings”

William Cullen Bryant

Super-Windmills

super_windmills WIND TURBINES DESIGNS

Around 1940 in the US, it was announced that ‘Plans were being made to harness mankind’s oldest and cheapest source of power for the industry by means of huge aerogenerators’.

Further, it went that ‘The next few years might see a great change in the landscape of our country. In certain strategic areas which promise a constant, strong wind such as in mountain passes, will grow strange structures resembling the Martian machines of H. G. Wells. But these will be instruments of construction, rather than destruction. These are tall steel towers to which supporting propeller fans are being assembled to convert wind energy into electrical power’.

Little did they know how far the pressure of moving away from generating power by means of burning fossil fuels will bring us into the new millennium?

In 1941, a full-scale futuristic looking wind turbine was built on a mountaintop in Vermont and hooked up to the system of the Vermont Public Service Corporation as an auxiliary power source. Mounted on a 110-foot steel tower, its twin 56-foot blades were designed to develop 1,2Kw at a wind velocity of 30 mph. Under favorable conditions, it actually developed 1,4Kw. Although a practical success, structural and financial difficulties ended the experiment. This amazing futuristic design could even withhold any criticism from today’s contemporary wind turbine designers.

“Madame, bear in mind that princes govern all things–save the wind”

Victor Hugo

Classic ‘Dutch Style’ Wind Mills

dutch-wind-mills

The first fact people recall about The Netherlands as a country is, of course, its ‘Windmills’. Windmills have been built in The Netherlands for many centuries. In the beginning, the mills were developed for corn milling, land drainage, sawmilling and for many other industrial purposes.

dutch-wind-mills-2

Dutch windmills are actually in many ways quite primitive. Only using canvas sails and turned to the direction from where the wind was coming from by hand. Quite different to the automated mechanisms that can also be seen below which was developed for English windmills which included fantails and shuttered sails.

dutch-wind-mills-4

There are still a very pleasing number of functioning remaining windmills in the Netherlands and even a set of ‘Dutch Style’ Windmills in the US to be seen in the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, CA.

dutch-wind-mills-5

The number of operating mills in The Netherlands is currently about 1200 and rising, in that the Dutch only count complete workable mills, and in the past years, many extensive rebuilds have occurred to add to this number. Aren’t they just beautiful?

dutch-wind-mills-3

“A breeze came wandering from the sky, light as the whispers of a dream; He put the overhanging grasses by, and softly stooped to kiss the stream, The pretty stream, the flattered stream, The shy, yet un-reluctant stream of wind”

William Cullen Bryant

World’s Biggest Wind Turbine

enercon-e126-002

Currently, the biggest and most powerful wind turbines designs in the world is the Enercon E-126 wind turbine (pictured above) generating 6Mw.

The Crown Estate of England certainly knows from which direction the wind blows and has decided to acquire the prototype of the world’s (yet to come) biggest wind turbine, The Clipper 7.5Mw (megawatt) MBE turbine, also known as the Britannia.

There is no current picture available for the Britannia 7.5Mw Clipper and the previous record was held as mentioned before by the Enercon E-126 wind turbine which is rated at 6 megawatts but can produce around 7 in real-world conditions.

While the Enercon is land-based, the Britannia will be located in deep waters near the UK. This makes sense because the marine interests of The Crown Estate include almost the entire UK territorial seabed out to 12 nautical miles, about 55% of the UK’s coastal foreshore, and rights to lease seabed for the generation of renewable energy on the continental shelf within the Renewable Energy Zone which extends out to approximately 200 nautical miles. A giant in the world of wind turbines, which is setting an example to all other large wind turbine manufacturers around the globe.

“The cyclonic wind

Used to be the essence of life

Turned into a threat”

Jyoti Sunit Chaudhary

The MagLev – A Magnetically Levitated Wind Turbine

maglev_wind_turbine

The MadLev is a magnetically levitated wind turbine that can generate one Gigawatt of power (enough to power 750,000 homes) and delivers clean power for less than one cent per kilowatt hour using this wind turbine.

Magnetic levitation is a very efficient method of capturing wind energy. The blades of the turbine are suspended on a cushion of air, and the energy is directed to linear generators with minimal friction losses. But the big advantage of maglev is that it reduces maintenance costs, and increases the lifespan of the generator. The manufacturer claims that it requires less land space than hundreds of conventional turbines. The MagLev wind turbine was invented by Ed Mazur, a researcher of variable renewable energy sources since 1981. There are already several MagLev wind turbines in operation in China.

“I sit by the window and watch the breeze

tingle the leaves on all the trees.

I sit by the window and hear the wind sing,

carrying spring, making air ring.

Wind! Wind! Blow me a song. Toss me a ship from the sea.

Fling me a willow tree tall and strong. Whirl the world closer to me”.

By Mimi Drodsky

The M.A.R.S.

mars-wind-turbine

The M.A.R.S. (Magenn Power Air Rotor System) is an interesting device that is capable of harnessing the power of the wind (pretty much like how a windmill works) to generate electricity, sending that power down a 330-meter tether rope for immediate consumption. Since the M.A.R.S. is filled with helium, it is capable of flying much higher than other wind turbines in order to gain access to higher wind speeds. The 4.0 kW unit will enter production this year, with another 7 more models in the pipeline which will be released within the next four years.

“The wind has lots of noises.

It sniffs, it puffs, it whines,

it rumbles like an ocean through junipers and pines,

it whispers in the windows, it howls, it sings, it hums –

it tells you VERY PLAINLY every time it comes”

Aileen Fisher

Helical Structured Wind Turbine

space-age-windmills

Helical structured wind turbines designs are the future of windmill technology. These amazingly unique looking twists and turns will replace those long and boring blades which represent the conventional image of a windmill. These new and sleek looking windmills are designed much like the old ones when it comes to converting their circular motion into mechanical work, but it is the structural design that makes them unique and special. In fact, they logically should function better than the traditional windmills as the helical structures seem to not just utilize the energy of the wind, but maximize it by containing the wind.

“The wind came out to play one day.

He swept the clouds out of his way.

He blew the leaves and away they flew.

The trees bent low and their branches did too!

The wind blew the great big ships at sea.

The wind blew the kite away from me.”

Anonymous

Phillipe Starck’s Home Windmill

starck-mill

Wind power going glam. Top designer Starck’s ingenuity and eye for design have emerged into a unique and stylish home wind turbine as we have never seen before. These so-called windmills are part of “Democratic Ecology”, a line that Starck has developed with an Italian Industrial group. “It’s part of what we love so much about his designs – the marriage of beauty, function, and responsibility.” “Ecology is not just an urgency of the economy and protection of our world but also creativity and elegance,” says Philippe Starck.

Made from the same transparent material also used in the very familiar Louis Ghost Chair, these clever contraptions are able to generate 20—60% of a home’s energy needs. In addition to looking like a piece of Gucci jewellery, they are relatively inexpensive.

“The wind is pushing against the trees,

He’ll take off your hat without asking you “please”,

He rattles the windows and puffs at a cloud,

Then scoots down the chimney and laughs aloud.”

Anonymous

The Loopwing

loop-wing

This is the “LoopWing”. Another futuristic and experimental looking wind turbine designed and manufactured in the East. It was unveiled in Japan’s Eco-Products 2006 Exhibition. The E1500 model turbine is a home windmill and sports a unique wing design that operate with low vibration and at wind speeds as low as 1.6 m/sec. The efficiency specs on the turbine are vague — “43% power performance at optimum wind speeds”.

“ A breeze came wandering from the sky, light as the whispers of a dream; He put the overhanging grasses by, and softly stooped to kiss the stream, The pretty stream, the flattered stream, The shy, yet unreluctant stream of wind”

William Cullen Bryant

Urban Turbines – “Quiet Revolution”

Urban Wind Turbines

Many people think wind turbines are ugly but what about these unique and colourful residential street wind turbines? Conventional turbines are best suited to wide open spaces where there’s plenty of wind. So this nifty vertical axis, the helical design is a much better solution for urban settings.

The Queen of England seems to agree. XCO2, a UK company behind the unconventional design, has applied for planning permission to build one outside her London residence, Buckingham Palace.

The “Quiet Revolution” turbine has 5-meter-tall blades which can generate 10Kw-hours of energy from a mean annual wind speed of just 5.8 meters per second. Embedded LEDs in each S-shaped blade are used to create images as the turbine turns. It is rumoured that the ones to be installed at Buckingham Palace may be used to display a glowing union flag.

“Green strips of paper

Float past outstretched fingertips

The wind laughs aloud”

Giovanna Marasco

The V-LIM – A Rooftop Wind turbine

lim_face1

The V-LIM is one of the vibration free, silent, self-indexing, high-bandwidth wind turbines designs suitable for rooftop mounting.

Rogue River Wind and Portland State University Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science, have joined forces to optimize power generation from a high-efficiency wind turbine suitable for rooftop mounting. Pictured here, this twelve foot, a self-indexing turbine can produce 3Kw at 15mph winds. The turbine is unaffected by air turbulence that can adversely affect most open bladed designs allowing rooftop mounting without tall towers. The turbine is silent, vibration free and can be screened to prevent harm to birds and other wildlife. The turbine can be used in both rural and urban locations with good wind resource. Due to its unusual design (looking more like a large motorbike wheel with white tires rather than a wind turbine) it was without question that we had to include this amazing looking piece of engineering into this collection of the most amazing windmills of the world.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind,

but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Anonymous

Sky Serpent – An Array of Small Rotors

sky-serpent-wind-turbine1

Doug Selsam’s Sky Serpent uses an array of small rotors to catch more wind for less money. The key to increasing efficiency is to make sure each rotor catches its own fresh flow of wind and not just the wake from the one next to it, as previous multi-rotor turbines have done. That requires figuring out the optimal angle for the shaft in relation to the wind and the ideal spacing between the rotors. The payoff is machines that use one-tenth the blade material of today’s mega-turbines yet produce the same wattage. A wonderful and controversial design of which the inventor says “This is a 1,000-year-old design” of the single-bladed turbine, “I knew if I could get more rotors, I could get more power.”

The ‘Jellyfish’ Micro Turbine

jellyfish

At a mere 36 inches tall, the Jellyfish plug-in wind appliance can generate about 40-kilowatt-hours each month, that’s enough to light a home using high-efficiency bulbs.

The Jellyfish Wind Appliance consists of the following parts:

A vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT)

A solid-state controller

A variable-speed induction generator

In order to reduce the demand for costly transmission infrastructures, the Jellyfish can work in tandem with the existing power grid and can deliver power exactly where it is needed. Although micro-wind is nothing new, at $400 a pop, the Jellyfish’s price, design, and simplicity make this microturbine product a fresh face in the market.

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.”

William Arthur Ward

The Highway Turbine

highway-wind-turbine

This is a very novel way of re-capturing some of the energy expended by vehicles moving at high speeds on our nation’s highways which is being proposed by an Arizona State University. Knowingly, air turbulence is generated by vehicles moving at speed particularly trucks and the proposal would involve mounting horizontal wind turbines above the roadway that would be driven by the moving air generated by the passing traffic. The electricity generated by spinning these turbines could be fed back into the grid. Analysis indicates that based on vehicle speeds of 70 mph each turbine could produce 9,600 kWh per year.

These wind turbines are of a quiet running type. In many built-up areas, there is enough constant traffic volume to maintain a steady airflow through much of the day. The big question that needs to be answered is whether the nature of the turbulent airflow could keep the turbines turning.

“I still get wildly enthusiastic about little things… I play with the leaves. I skip down the street and run against the wind.”

Leo F. Buscaglia

Broadstar AeroCam

broadstar-wind-turbine

Broadstar’s AeroCam turbine design is an absolute head-turner. The design is based on principles first established by the French aeronautical engineer Georges Jean Marie Darrieus (1888-1979), who invented a wind turbine capable of operating from any direction and under adverse weather conditions. Darrieus machines typically have a vertical axis, whereas the AeroCam design has a horizontal axis with multiple blades, giving it the appearance of a water wheel. The major innovation in the design, however, is the ability to automatically and interactively adjust the pitch or angle of attack of the aerodynamic blades as the turbine rotates, thereby optimizing its performance for much the same reasons a bird changes the shape of its wing in flight.

“If the wind will not serve, take to the oars.”

Latin Proverb quote

The ‘Nano Skin’ Spiral Twist Wind Turbine

nanoskin-wind-turbine

Agustin Otegu, the inventor of the ‘Nano Skin’ wind turbine thinks that the future of green buildings lies not in the giant wind turbines we’ve seen in so many other projects, nor in huge solar panels. Instead, his new design proposal, called Nano-vent Skin, would incorporate tiny, biological self-repairing wind turbines into the outer layer of a building. As wind played over the building’s “skin,” the turbines would spin and create energy that would be fed into the building’s electrical grid. They would also absorb carbon dioxide.

Otegu says: “The outer skin of the structure absorbs sunlight through an organic photovoltaic skin and transfers it to the nano-fibres inside the nano-wires which then is sent to storage units at the end of each panel. Each turbine on the panel generates energy by chemical reactions on each end where it makes contact with the structure. Polarized organisms are responsible for this process on every turbine’s turn. The inner skin of each turbine works as a filter absorbing CO2 from the environment as the wind passes through it.” Quite an amazing invention we think.

The ‘Helix’ Wind Turbine

helix-wind-turbine-2

A new breed of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) from Helix Wind offers a promising design that may change the way we do wind at home. The Helix Wind Savonious 2.0 uses a unique rotor capable of capturing omnidirectional winds to provide quieter, kinder small wind power for your urban home.

The Helix S322 is compact, elegant, sophisticated and versatile. It provides smooth power and torque delivery across a broad range of wind speeds and under the most difficult of physical environments. No furling or shutting down, simple to install, modular and scalable, the S322 is ideally designed for urban environments, low draw, off-grid applications, and liquids pumping. This turbine is very captivating to the eye indeed.

“For what is it to die, but to stand in the sun and melt into the wind?”

Kahlil Gibran

The ‘Dutch Windmill Tree’

Dutch company One Architecture, Ton Matton, and NL Architects were commissioned by the Dutch government for a next-generation windmill. The proposed mill is shaped like a tree and can hold up to 8 turbines and be as high as 120 meters! The Dutch government feels that tree-shaped mills are less intrusive in the flat Dutch landscape than the mill-parks they use.

“If a man does not know what port he is steering for, no wind is favourable to him”

Seneca

The ‘Bahrain World Trade Centre’ Turbines

bahrain-wtc

The Atkins designed the Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) made history when the three turbines which are allocated between the two adjourning towers were turned together for the first time.

The three 29m-diameter turbine blades on Bahrain’s iconic landmark are the first in the world to be integrated on such a scale into commercial development and are forecast to provide the equivalent of 11-15% of the power for the two towers when fully operational. “Having all three turbines spinning simultaneously represents a historic achievement for this landmark project and Atkins is excited to have been a major player in turning the original idea into reality?” says Simha LytheRao Senior Project Manager for Atkins in Bahrain.”

bahrain-wtc-wind-turbines

The BWTC design blends maritime aesthetics with the functionality of traditional wind-towers. The visually striking sail-shaped towers form a commanding silhouette on the skyline of Manama and serve to channel the strong on-shore winds directly onto the three spinning blades.

“Our best-built certainties are but sand-houses and subject to damage from any wind of doubt that blows”

Mark Twain

…and the absolute winner of our ‘Amazing Wind Turbine Designs’ collection is:

The Anara Tower – Dubai

anara-tower-wind-turbine-3

Here we have another skyscraper, this time in Dubai and in the shape of a giant wind turbine. Following a global design competition between three Atkins offices – Dubai, Hong Kong and London – Dubai based property developer Tameer holding has decided on the 600meter-plus skyscraper design to be built on the famous Sheik Zayed Road.

anara-tower-wind-turbine

Based on current world rankings the ‘Anara’ Tower will be amongst the world’s tallest structures. Besides the giant wind turbine which will be integrated into the building’s design at the top of the tower, the 2,15 feet (655m) tall structure includes a mixed-use development with retail, offices, 300 luxury apartments, and a 250-room luxury hotel.

The ‘Anara by Night’ -Illustration

anara-tower-wind-turbine-2

As one can see on the vertical renderings, it has a tremendous atrium and vertical gardens every 27 floors. It will also hold a panoramic restaurant in the glass capsule at the top of the building. The design of ‘Anara’ Tower is maximizing water and energy efficiency and includes renewable sources of energy. In our opinion, The ‘Anara’ Wind Turbine Tower represents the future of what is to come in the world of energy sufficient buildings designs.

Construction is set to be started during next year and more images will surely follow on completion of the project. Watch this space

“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”

Jim Rohn

And wind turbine design never stops… here are some more to tickle your fancy, or float your sky boat!

The Magenn Air Rotor System

This design should be ideal for farms and remote locations, the MARS is nothing extra-terrestrial… it stands for the Magenn Power Air Rotor System. The wind turbine is tethered to the ground and floats in the air. This lighter-than-air wind turbine rotates around a horizontal axis irrespective of where the wind is blowing to generate electrical energy. This electrical energy passes down the tether to a transformer and then can be transferred to the electric power grid.  Helium is used to keep the MARS Air Rotor aloft, while its rotation keeps it stable and in an optimal position.

“The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind”

The Sweet-Escott  SET

British inventor Sweet-Escott has come up with an amazing wind turbine that is silent and virtually hidden from view.

He calls it the Secret Energy Turbine (SET), the wind turbine looks like an ordinary chimney stack and has vertically mounted blades fixed under the influence of two opposing magnets. As the blades catch the wind and start to spin, they form an airfoil by means of boundary layers.

The uneven current generated by the wind turbine is organized by an electronic load controller, which is then fed into a battery pack, from where a sine wave inverter converts it to AC voltage. The wind turbine is made available in three different variants that can generate between 2W to 2000W depending on wind speed and the size of the wind turbine.

So no complaints from the neighbours, because it’s not unsightly, and it’s not noisy!

“Switch off the mind and let the heart decide who you were meant to be (Windpower)
Flick to remote and let the body glide, there is no enemy (Windpower)
Etch out a future of your own design, well tailored to your needs (Windpower)
Then fan the flame and keep the dream alive..

(Thomas Dolby- “Windpower”)

Starck Revolutionair

Phillipe Starck, inventor, and designer, produced two turbine designs for the home.  Named“Revolutionair,” the sleek turbines were officially debuted after a lengthy 2 years of research and work.  The turbines will be “revolutionary” in that they are designed for domestic use by homeowners. That means that ordinary individuals can put them in their yards, gardens or on roofs to generate power for their households. The clear quadrangular 400W WT model has a power output of 400W and the helicoidal 1KW WT one will be able to generate 1 KW of power.

 

The designer turbines will be produced by Pramac, an Italian company and should sell for around 2,500 euros (quadrangular) and 3,500 euros (helicoidal).

“We have to help people to produce energy, to be part of the fight,” Starck said. “Energy should not be a punishment, we should create a desire (among people to produce it).”

We wish him well… and hope that someday soon, the design can be developed to harness greater wind power beyond that of domestic household needs.

Windstalk

Ok.. I’ll admit this is still at the drawing board phase, but it’s breathtaking! Stalks, swaying in the wind, generating energy.. hence the name- Windstalk.

In the Windstalk concept, these energy generators were designed by New York design firm Atelier DNA and are inspired by stalks of grass or wheat that simply gyrate and oscillate in the wind, generating energy. The plan is to use them at Masdar city, the project uses 1203 stalks in all, standing 180 feet high anchored to the ground with concrete bases 10 to 20 meters in diameters.

 

Also, the stalks include LED lights on the top that glows brighter with higher wind intensities, making them look awesome- like a thousand tiny fireflies. Using piezoelectric ceramic discs to generate energy, these are truly revolutionary, and I hope that they prove viable as well as pretty!

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25 thoughts on “WIND TURBINES DESIGNS – The World’s Most Amazing Windmills Designs”

  1. I found your blog on MSN Search. Nice writing. I will check back to read more.

    Eric Hundin

  2. Wind power is now the fastest growing energy platform in the world. Home Appliance

  3. Fabulous article and amazing gallery of windmill pictures. I have book marked and will look for updates. Thanks a million! A green energy enthusiast

  4. The batteries, to store the vagarities of the wind power are coming, and they will be found in our cars! Overnight charges, sudden, fast, high wind charges, long low wind charges, all possible and practical. We will bend our batteries to the wind, and discharge them at our will!

  5. Boys toys. The wind turbine manufacturers and main players reveal a tragic and wasteful money grubbing industry. It has agressively moved into the subsidy junkie state ignoriing core values of using less, impacting less, and living within scale. The real windmill has more integrity than all this sickening excess.

  6. Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!

  7. I have a wind turbine design.I want to show the experts.I live in pakistan.The country with the most power failure problems.

  8. These are amazing designs. But Practicality of cause is questionable for some.

  9. You know so many interesting infomation. You might be very wise. I like such people. Don’t stop writing.

  10. The Baker Wind Turbine is a major breakthrough in wind energy technology. The super quiet, Low Pressure Turbine is enclosed and 100% bird and people safe which allows the turbine to be installed and operated in close proximity to people. This eliminates the need for long transmission lines because the electricity is consumed close to where the electricity is generated. The 12 feet in diameter Model #3 Baker Wind Turbine is mounted on a car trailer and the unit is easily transported. Set-up is easy. The outriggers lift the turbine foundation and stabilize the turbine so that it can rotate 360 degrees. The fenders and tires are removed. No tower is needed; all that is necessary is a 6’ by 6’ wind flow. More efficient and powerful than a single dimension propeller driven windmill, this multidimensional wind energy turbine dynamic has never been seen before. Of course, the multidimensional turbine dynamic does not even resemble a single dimension propeller driven windmill. Google Baker Wind Turbine and two videos will appear; the longer video demonstrates the Low Pressure Turbine Dynamic.
    Let me explain to you the basic turnaround in wind energy science and technology demonstrated by the Baker Wind Turbine. You don’t have to be a genius to understand wind energy.
    First, the maximum amount of energy in the wind is directly in front of the wind. This is the basic and simple premise and is easily proven to anyone logically. (Aristotelian logic is the foundation of all science.) While standing in the wind, face the full force of the wind which is directly in front of the wind. Now, form both hands into a cup which represents a ½ round, cupped turbine vane with volume. Now, cross over your hands and form a blade with no volume representing a propeller driven wind mill. Which of the two forms catch more wind and has full thrust from the wind?
    The first part of the equation is solved: The maximum amount of energy in the wind is directly in front of the wind and the best surface form to catch the wind and consequently, has more thrust and power, is a ½ round aluminum turbine vane with volume.
    The second part of the equation is as logical. Which direction will the maximum wind catch area turbine vane turn? Naturally, the turbine vanes and rotor turn harmoniously in the same direction as the wind is blowing. This eliminates wind noise caused by turbulence. A propeller blade rotates sideways to the wind energy airstream which results in less power produced, noise from propeller turbulence and high stress on bearings and blades creating high maintenance cost. Propellers are so big; birds can’t see them and they have devastated wild bird populations. Check out the out of control wind propeller explosions on You Tube.
    The third part of the equation is that the more cupped wind catch surface area that is directly in front of the wind, the more powerful the turbine. A single dimension propeller can only expand in size and power by increasing its’ diameter. The multidimensional Baker Wind Turbine can not only increase its’ power by increasing its’ diameter but can expand horizontally and add exponentially more wind catch surface area and power.
    The Baker Wind Turbine has 144 cupped turbine vanes that are 3 inches wide (5 ½ inches of surface area). The 3 inch aluminum vanes give us 11 inches of weld at the cupped base. Each turbine vane has 1 1/2 sq. ft. of cupped surface area. This is important because the stress per catch area unit is low as apposed to a large catch area with a high stress attachment to the hub. No one turbine vane pulls by itself but pulls together with the other turbine vanes in a “gang”. This spreading of wind energy over the rotor maximizes the wind catch area and spins the rotor smoothly without vibration. Each turbine hub has 6 turbine vanes that are 6 ft. long. There are 24 hubs (6ft. wide) and there are 18 rows. Each row has 8 members that contain 48 lineal ft. of turbine vanes. At any given moment, the top section contains 108 sq. ft. of cupped wind catch surface area. As each row is assembled, they are progressively stepped which forms a horizontal twist. Twist is torque and torque is horsepower. The more twist, the more horsepower. Dividing the diameter into 18 lateral rows creates massive torque that is visible. For example take a wood screw and hold it sideways and turn it. You will notice that the screw is made up of one helix and 8 or more twists (or flights). The Baker Wind Turbine is Like the Archimedean screw but made up of 6 helixes with 8 twists which torque from right to left six feet. The overall dynamic of the Baker Wind Turbine is germane to High Pressure Turbine Dynamics but adapted to Low Pressure Turbine Dynamics which I am the inventor of and the Baker Wind Turbine is the test prototype. Just as Mr. Parsons’ invention of the high pressure steam turbine revolutionized steam power; the Baker Wind Turbine will revolutionize low pressure wind power.
    The Baker Wind Turbine rotor has a lower surface to weight ratio than a propeller windmill so the rotor and shaft which weigh 660 lbs. begins turning on 1 or 2 miles an hour of wind and will operate smoothly and quietly in a 100 mile an hour wind at an estimated (920 R.P.M). High pressure steam and gas turbines operate at 20,000 to 50,000 R.P.M or higher; so in high winds the low pressure turbine dynamic is figuratively just loafing along. The Baker Wind Turbine not only has a wider range of operation but also produces more power at any given wind speed than a propeller driven wind mill and therefore the new turbine wind energy technology should rightfully outmode the old propeller driven windmill technology. The Baker Wind Turbine, like all major inventions, has a wide range of applications that will change roof top architecture, bridge design, ship design, high speed train (forced air) electric grid locomotives, forced air/ electric cars, parks, backyards, airports and all areas where the wind can be utilized in a natural or forced air environment. The turbine is enclosed so the housing can be easily painted to blend in with the surrounding area.
    The last part of the equation is a little harder to grasp, even some engineers don’t get it straight. Those who defy convention and who can think individually in multidimensional terms get it right away.
    First the single dimension. One assumption in Betz’ Law is that a solid wall is considered 100 % efficient in the wind and a propeller is considered 50% efficient because half of the wind flows through the propeller which causes the propeller to turn. So, 6 feet by 6 feet swath of airstream at, lets say, 10 pounds pressure per square foot (pounds is air speed and density) would give you 360 pounds of pressure thrust overall. A 50% efficient propeller would have 180 lbs. of thrust available. A three blade propeller with 5 ½ inch wide blades and 6 foot in diameter (4 1/2 sq. ft. surface area or 40.5 lbs thrust) produces but a fraction of one horsepower. The reason for this is a small surface area propeller rotates on a flat plane sideways to the energy source, has little torque, and is of a single dimension.
    The multidimensional Baker Wind Turbine wind in-take is 6 feet high by 6 feet wide by 12 feet deep. The wind travels laterally across the turbine top section 12 feet to the other side which creates rotary power. The turbine rotor vanes are denser close to the center of the hub and wider at the tips and spaced such that the wind passes through the turbine to the other side. Again, hold up the wood screw. Notice by looking across the top half of the screw that there are air passages to the other side? Remember the Baker Wind Turbine has 6 helixes and 8 twists and the air passages move from right to left six feet? Now, look at the down wind side of the screw and you will notice that the flight is open and fanned out and is not drafted by the spiral? The turbine spirals leading edge is made up of many turbine vanes from many different rows so they do not draft one another. Of course, the leading edge of the opening is constantly changing as the rotor turns. At the apex of the turbine, as observed directly in front of the wind in-feed, the vanes form a continuous wall dimensionally. Because there are dimensional openings between the turbine vanes, and air is highly fluid, the wind powers all nine rows at any given moment from one side to the other. Each row is one dimension under wind power and there are 9 rows. There are 48 lineal feet of 3 inch cupped turbine vanes per row and 108 cupped sq. ft. total under power. If we figure out our total surface area in the top section it would contain 198 sq. ft. of surface area under wind power. At 10 pounds per sq. ft. that would be 1,980 pounds of thrust overall. That is 49 times more than the estimated efficiency of 40.5 pounds thrust for a single dimension propeller operating in the same 6 feet by 6 feet airstream! The Baker Wind Turbine is even more powerful than just converting speed and density of air into rotary power, the traveling torque creates even more horsepower, however, digging into traveling torque equations at this time is not necessary. My point has already been proven in science that Baker Low Pressure Turbine Dynamics is at least 49 times more powerful then a propeller driven wind mill dynamic and my 12 feet in diameter low pressure turbine proves it. That is why I built model #3 so that people could see the powerful turbine dynamic operate even though they do not understand how it works or all of the ramifications of it working. Now you know how it works and basically the breakthrough technology of Baker Low Pressure Turbine Dynamics. Did you get it? Or was it to much for your wee mind? For those who get it, read on. For those who don’t get it; drive down the road at 65 mph. and cup your hand into the wind and let it jerk your arm back (lever) and each time ask yourself “where is the power and energy in the wind”?
    The reason the modern American Green Energy Economy is not moving forward is because independent scientist and individual inventors, like me, are without funding. The reason there is no funding is because the economic powers that be, the status quo, has snuffed any State or Federal funding programs for independent green energy inventors. Are you surprised there is no level ground? Do you know what scares the hell out of the multinational Big Oil and energy barons? The answer is the advancement of science with new inventions that they can’t control (their economy) that would outmode the use of fossil fuels for energy (their product). That is the cause of man made Global Warming.
    Logically, one would think that the first government action would be to utilize our national talent by holding a national green energy science contest thereby acting free from Big Oil. I am not the only independent inventor; there would be thousands of qualified applicants with new concepts. The winner would receive a one million dollar reward to further develop the new green energy concept. Ten million a month could finance and develop ten new grass root industries employing thousands in green energy jobs. Out with the old and in with the new, let the best win in science and the lesser fold or be outmoded by something even better. That is fair competition and free enterprise. A modern American Main Street Capitalism based on a green energy economy would grow from the bottom up and not be dominated and controlled by multinational corporations from the top down. Great inventors were individuals not controlled universities; they should be funded as well.
    Lawrence Baker
    650-218-9434 windcatch@gmail.com

  11. I would think it’s a question of big versus small. Should every home and building have one or build a giant wind turbine to service a district? How practical and cost-efficient is building one? I read in the papers that wind power is ruled out for Sabah, just wasn’t efficient enough.

  12. on a conventional three blade wind turbine, there is one turbine being driven. my question is?, why not put another three blades at the back of the first three blades driving another turbine thus producing twice as much electricity per windmill. the turbines could be along side each other so that the blades would be slightly off set to each other, one back, one ,and one front. please could you send me an answer

  13. No more than One story to characterize such a great despatch “WOW” that was a quite intriguing read

  14. vertical axis wind turbines is that the horizontal wind turbines have a tail rudder that always moves to face the turbine into the wind. Depending on how the wind is blowing, this can be distracting or downright annoying.

    Vertical axis wind turbines are stationary and can be anchored with guy wires. As for which type of turbine captures the wind better, there is debate there as well. Horizontal turbines will get wind at ground level, where the vertical turbines miss it, yet vertical wind turbines capture wind that is higher up in the air.

  15. Hi
    We design & build traditional frame buildings, we are exploring the feasibility of constructing timber frame traditional bespoke windmills.

    We feel this would overcome most of the problems experienced in planning permits and public opinion regarding modern wind turbines.
    What could be more quaint than a traditional looking windmill using modern technology.

    We would be interested in hearing from like minded persons

  16. I am looking for small windmill which can take care of 10 # 40 watts CLF bulbs, 4 fans, 1 Refrigertor 400 Ltr. so pl. suggest me the wind mill the speed of the wind is 9 to 12 MPH and this open Farm House

  17. We are a Kuwaiti shareholding public company registered in the list of Kuwaiti stock exchange, please see our website http://www.noorinvestment.com .
    We are looking for joint cooperation to import of commercial interest within the framework of Kuwaiti law, which ideally allowed us to contact and discuss defense & security matters & procurement and import contracting with international suppliers that are compatible with the requirements and requests of the Kuwaiti government specification & qualification , which is already approved by local official and international specify parities.

    We are searching to reach the best sources in the world to be presented to the Kuwaiti government in several areas; especially the tenders we already involved in these days to several ministries:
    We are searching for the source whom can provide the Kuwait MOE&W of Portable trailer Diesel Generators for 500MW

    Accordingly, there is a list of other required equipment, which was not announced still under evaluation so far and we will be happy if you accept to cooperate with us and partners in success, we have a dedicated experts leaders to manage activate and evaluate these bids , we have technical support financial and political support to ensure our success in winning tenders.

    Best regards
    Tenders & Projects Team
    Noor Financial Investment

  18. Good evening
    My husband and I have interset in lowering our utility cost. We are asking your company for some direction, as in location of business,cost,buy now as oppose to later,tax breaks etc? We now live in Lexington,NC 27292 .

    Thanks,
    The Andersons

  19. Hi,

    I am writing a text on renewable energy & would like to get permission to use some of the amazing images on your site. Do you own the rights to them? Could I use some of them?

    Bob Ehrlich

  20. Great article. Appreciate the way it has started with old designs and initiatives. But seems it has missed the journey in which it has reached to its present.

    Wind energy has taken so may turbulances worldwide. But for few, it was always a matter to be proven that money invested will be retreived!!! and challange was that winds are unpredictable.

    But still from few kws now to few MWs, mankind have slowly progressed. and will do if we appreciate and work more closely TOGETHER.

  21. Thank u 4 putting up this beautiful website, of the windmills, Hope 2 go see them some day. It’s a beautiful thing to look at .Love windmills. xo. from green eye gutseye.

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