Having a wind turbine installed in private homes, i.e. a windmill to generate electricity, currently has several limitations. However, new designs are emerging that, besides not causing the aesthetic effect of any traditional turbine, make the process more efficient and are already very attractive to have at home. Two companies started working and marketing more discreet and highly efficient wind generators.
One of these RidgeBlade wind turbine without any blades and sitting high on the roof, using a design that makes it almost invisible. When the mechanism is placed where the wind is ‘pushed’ to go (preferably at the top of a pitched roof), it collects and concentrates the wind from the outside.
Forced to move upward on the surface of the roof where the turbine is located, the wind can reach a speed three times higher. which it has under normal conditions. That way, the turbine can generate up to nine times more energy than a conventional wind turbine, according to the company’s website, https://thepowercollective.ca/
The RidgeBlade uses an advanced system to prevent noise from occurring during normal operation and is also designed to self-limit the rotor speed due to its mechanical properties.
These wind generators reach their full capacity at wind speeds as low as 40 km/h.a speed that cannot be exceeded even in severe storms, thus providing great stability when the turbine reaches its maximum rotation speed.
The RidgeBlade has been tested under real-world conditions, both inside the wind tunnel and outdoors in winds of over 160 km/h, with no loss of efficiency.
The company is based in Canada and has representatives in several cities in the United States and Europe (currently France and Italy), currently selling two models. One of them is RB1 Residential, which is the smallest domestic version and suitable for most homes.
For its part, the RB2 Commercial is a larger and more powerful version and is designed to be installed in a wide variety of buildings. It provides more power than the RB1 turbine.
There is also a hybrid version that includes a photovoltaic panel to combine solar and wind generation.
Nemoi, another domestic alternative
However, this is not the only company committed to new models of more modern and efficient wind turbines. Owned by two Argentine businessmen, the Semtive has created the Nemoi, a turbine that is vaguely similar to the traditional ones but much more discreet (the size of a bush) and a turbine. three vertical blades that rotate completely silently like a merry-go-round about a central axis.
According to the company, one of these turbines can only power a four-person home at speeds of 16 to 20 km/h. The mechanism, which can be assembled by one person, is made of aluminum and can be produced anywhere.
Why is a small turbine like this so efficient? Ignacio Juárez, president of the company, said that one of the reasons is in these local installations. No energy loss in transportation as it is produced at the mill (usually a few kilometers away) and home. This means that up to 40% of the energy produced is lost along the way.
In this case, since the generator is in the house itself, all the energy produced is used. These turbines, which have various models according to their capacities, retail price is about $3,600, however, the company calculates that owners of these systems can recover their investment in just two years if they take advantage of the subsidies that governments usually give or in very windy locations, and in a maximum of seven years for low wind and low wind locations. They lack subsidies.
Customers often use these turbines as a complement or even as an alternative to solar panels, says Semtive.
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Environment department contact address:crisclimatica@prensaiberica.es
Source: Informacion
