TAKE WIND TO WORK AND HOME

Going with the wind: Little goes long way…
November 15, 2009 (San Diego Union-Tribune)

"Wind power isn't just about towering turbines in the desert producing electricity for thousands of homes at a time…It can be done on a much smaller scale…

"Helix Wind…has developed an innovative turbine design, which spins on a vertical, rather than horizontal axis…[It] produce power in remote areas far from the electric grid — and in big cities like Chicago…[Helix Wind] is buying up a couple of other small turbine makers, which it says will enable it to offer a variety of products depending on what its customers need…[and expand] “small wind” development into new areas such as urban cell towers, [ski resorts, oil derricks,] homes, cruise ships and billboards…The small wind industry focuses on turbines that produce enough power for a few light bulbs or a few houses, not neighborhoods…"

click to enlarge

"…[ American Wind Energy Association small wind expert] Ron Stimmel…[said small turbines used to be just farm equipment but] they've gotten more popular as a source of renewable energy because they are less expensive than comparably sized solar arrays…Sales of the units grew 78 percent last year to more than 10,000 nationwide, Stimmel said, but he doesn't know what effect the recession, tight credit or federal incentives such as a 30 percent tax credit have had this year…

"Helix's goal is to re-engineer small wind and sell it as a commodity…Helix is pushing, for instance, to sell turbines to companies that need a steady supply of power in remote areas…[They] mean diesel use may be radically reduced…"

Helix Wind's vertical axis concept. (click to enlarge)

"Helix [will build] two cell tower-mounted turbines…to find out is whether the turbines will make more power than the towers need, making it possible to sell it back onto the grid…A new wave of towers is required for the coming fourth-generation, or 4G, wireless networks, and companies are looking for a way to put them in while lightening the impact on the environment…The company also is looking to sell its turbines to residents and commercial buildings — and it is pushing them as a complement to solar panels...

"Helix, which was started in 2006…has produced about 150 of its signature turbines in a Thailand factory and sold them around the world…[T]hey are [reportedly] able to produce power in lighter, gustier and more erratic winds…Finding out how Helix's turbines compare with others is the goal of testing being done at the company's test facility…"