Windancer Combines Art and Power
Wind Simplicity’s WindancerTM
One objection to wind power is the ugliness of the turbines.
Even T. Boone Pickens said he wouldn’t have one of the turbines for his own Pickens Plan on his property for that reason.
If small wind systems became decorative and attractive, maybe homeowner associations (HOA) wouldn’t resist them so much, as is discussed in this Las Vegas Review Journal real estate column.
Thanks to a Twitter post, I saw this TreeHugger.com article, “Backyard Wind Turbine by Wind Simplicity Mirrors Art and Nature.” Some phrases caught my eye.
“. . .aesthetically pleasing and still functional. . .copper colored, 8 bladed. . .particularly in areas with low wind speeds. . .”
I expect a commercial with some old codger saying “More blades! More Fun!”
Paraphrasing Wind Simplicity’s latest press release, “Windancer™ was selected from 769 projects submitted from 111 nations to win a prestigious Canadian National Energy Globe Award for 2009.”
Windancer looks to old style windmills and the patriotic Canadian maple leaf for design inspiration and also achieves high efficiency in low or high wind speeds, runs quietly, and is compact thus easy to install. But the downside for such elegance might be the price, according to the Globe and Mail article linked from the TreeHugger article:
“. . .available in sizes from 3 kilowatts to 23 kilowatts. But power and design come at a price. They range from $27,000 to $69,000, not including the tower.”
The cheap alternatives listed are still over $10,000.
Here are my cheap wind power alternatives. Prices range from cheap (a few hundred bucks for parts, some assembly required) to free (the plans, that is).
