Affordable and efficient it hits US shelves next month. Let’s hope it becomes available in Australia soon.
If you thought that wind turbines were too noisy, bulky, expensive, or unreliable in low winds, here’s a new product that could dispel those worries.
At this year's LightFair convention in Las Vegas, they launched a truly remarkable alternative energy product developed by the Michigan-based company Windtronics for Honeywell. The WT6500 Wind Turbine is one of the best examples of wind power generators for residential, small business, and commercial applications. Ever considered whether owning a wind turbine is practical for city life?
One of the biggest concerns for those interested in turbines: "What if I don’t have a lot of wind?" Most wind turbines of this capacity require 7 to 8 mph winds to overcome the resistance of the gears. A conventional turbine uses the wind to move blades that turn gears to power a generator, whereas this turbine eliminates the separate generator and the gearing.
Instead of spinning gears, it uses a patent pending magnetic technology to generate energy. Each blade has a magnet at the tip, so as they spin, they pass by coiled copper.
Essentially, the entire turbine becomes the generator, and it only needs winds of 2 mph to get it spinning. Kevin even had it running with just the air blown from a tiny desktop fan. The wheel is also mounted so it turns freely with a use of side fins. This means that it can rotate easily so it will always be in the direction of the wind path.
It is also worth mentioning that the turbine is quiet -- it only emits 35db, which is about the same level of ambient noise found in a library.
This video gives a quick look at how it works.