New wind turbine generates cheap power

A vertical axis wind turbine that has been under development for more than ten years is nearly ready for commercial use. Propeller-type wind turbines have been controversial because they are visually ugly, make a lot of noise, can kill birds, and are not all that efficient.

This vertical axis turbine, by comparison, does not have to be mounted as high to work, creates little noise, spins only as fast as the ambient wind (so is less a threat to birds), works in higher winds that propeller turbines, is much easier and less expensive to maintain, and is less expensive to build.

But wait, there's more. It also generates electricity at less cost than typical commercial fossil fuel systems, unlike a lot of other "green" systems like solar.

Will this solve all our energy problems? It won't, but it does illustrate that the emerging Energy Economy will have lots of different kinds of energy systems that will work better that what we have now, will have less impact on the environment, and may actually lower the cost of energy.

And there will be lots of new businesses to build, install, and maintain these new, highly diversified systems. New businesses means new jobs, so is your region including an Energy Economy strategy as part of its economic development plans?

Technology News: