A company called New Wind has begun to put up renewable wind energy “trees” around Paris. The trees are made for urban centers, and while they do not produce the level of energy that large wind turbines can, they are able to generate energy in areas with lower wind currents as low as 4.5 MPH.
The Tree Vent itself takes advantage of lower air flow, says NewWind, but can make use of all "types of wind, 360-degree turbulent or laminar". (Turbulent wind is swirling and chaotic; laminar is streamlined and layered).
Importantly, unlike regular wind turbines, these have towns and cities in mind too. Because they're made to look "organic", they can be installed in urban environments and actually brighten places up.
According to Treehugger:
French entrepreneur Jérôme Michaud-Larivière came up with the design one day while noticing the way the wind rustled the leaves on trees, lifting and spinning them, and he wondered if a wind energy device based on that could generate energy.
His design so far has a power output of 3.1 kW, which isn't a huge capacity for energy generating, but a street lined with these wind trees could power city street lights or help to offset the power consumption of nearby buildings.
This is one of many attempts to add more pleasing design to much-needed renewable energy devices. According to the company, the trees cost $36,000 each. How much maintenance and how much energy that produces makes me wonder if this is economically realistic. But, if your city is interested in paying for art installations, it doesn’t hurt if it gives back a little energy as well.
Watch a video about these little engines below.
