Vertical Axis, Urban Wind Turbine

Innovative British Consultancy XCO2 has come up with an novel design of urban wind turbine that it believes will help wind power acheive better market penetration than other designs.

The aesthetic of the design differs significantly from the traditional horizontal axis turbine that we're used to seeing, but breaks with the tradition of horizontal axis turbines by being both vertically oriented and also helical in shape.

Named the Quiet Revolution 5, to reflect its low noise design features, the turbine incorporates a number of features into its design that are designed to minimise the audible intrusion generated in operation.

The blades of the QR5 are gently tapered, to minimise noise – the blades being constructed from carbon fibre.

The QR5 also adheres to the principles of simplicity, sacrificing the complexity of a gearbox, for a direct-drive motor. The design aims to reduce maintenance costs by making all moving parts sealed units. The design incorporates a 6kW generator, and operates in wind conditions between 4 m/s and 16 m/s.

The design has an operational life of 25 years and has been constructed to be relatively maintenance free during that period.

Assuming an average wind speed of 5.8 m/s, with 10, 000kWh being generated each year, the turbine will have a financial payback period of 15 years – however, as the price of oil continues to spiral, there is no reason why the turbine could not pay for itself in less time.