Adobe Systems, a highly successful technology company, recently installed 20 new Windspire vertical axis turbines. The vertical turbines are installed around the employee basketball court on the roof of the parking garage for their office complex. The parking garage is surrounded by 3 office taller buildings that channel the air and create a sort of wind tunnel effect.
The Windspire turbines are produced by Mariah Power. Each turbine weighs approximately 650 lbs and is nearly 30 feet tall. Each turbine is rated at 1.2kW and are expected to produce 2,500 kWhs annually, which would add up to roughly 50,000 kWh for the entire setup.
Vertical Turbines on Adobe garage
Smaller systems, such as the one on the roof of Adobe’s garage, are not as efficient as larger wind farms. However, they do provide an excellent solution when you don’t have a lot of space and can’t tolerate much noise. The vertical turbines are sleek and clean in design, looking no more out of place than parking lights would.
The College of Engineering at Wayne State University recently erected a Franklin Vertical Wind Turbine on its roof. “This design is more suited to an urban setting and able to capture multi-directional winds, updrafts and turbulence as found in urban environments,” adjunct professor David Koyle said, relating the design of the vertical turbines to that of the traditional horizontal wind turbines.
Caisheng Wang, an assistant professor in the college, stated that “Wind is the fastest growing and most feasible renewable energy technology.” And wind power is helping WSU to grow as well. The turbine will be used by the research faculty to study wind related concepts such as aerodynamics, air pressure, and force. College of Education students will teach a new course about the benefits of wind turbines, such as this one, and other alternative energy systems. Electrical engineering students will also be assessing the performance and making improvements. See the article here.
Last week a vertical turbine generator was installed on MacMillan Pier in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The 30-foot-tall structure is visible from around the pier and should provide great exposure for this growing form of renewable energy collection.
According to the author, the vertical-axis turbine is “an elegant S shape reminiscent of the double-helix m
olecular structure of DNA.” Very interesting, a power generator that is also aesthetically appealing. Hopefully this form of energy will appeal to the naysayers who don’t like the looks of conventional renewable energy generators.
The vertical turbine is estimated to generate around 5 kilowatts of power and it is estimated that the generator will save the Provincetown Pier Corp. about $2,000 a year in energy bills.
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