Up on the Rooftop

Aug. 12, 2009

New wind system provides options for urban, suburban industrial users with small footprints.

It can't be called the country cousin to the big wind turbines that are increasingly dotting the U.S. landscape. Indeed, the WindCube rooftop wind turbine, first introduced at Windpower 2009 in May, aims to bring wind energy to the urban and suburban commercial and industrial user with its smaller footprint.

In July, Port Clinton, Ohio, became the site of the first commercially installed 60kW WindCube, designed by Green Energy Technologies for on-site power generation. The installation was unveiled in early July at the new Crown Battery Renewable Energy Center, where initial site analysis estimates it will generate about 150,000 kilowatt hours of power annually.

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The WindCube is able to capture wind energy as low as 5 mph.

The WindCube is available in rooftop- or tower-mounted designs, as well as a single (60kW) or dual (120kW) system. According to Green Technologies, the WindCube design relies on the wind tunnel effect known as the Bernoulli principle. Rather than generating energy through the use of free-stream wind, the WindCube amplifies the wind. As the wind enters the WindCube shroud, it becomes concentrated and increases in velocity, creating more power. Because of the amplification, the wind power system is able to capture wind energy as low as 5 mph, Green Energy Technologies claims. The WindCube then generates electricity by running its motor backward using an impeller.

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