03/18/2010
Product Pick of the Week - The SpiralAirfoil Wind Turbine
The turbine model that sits on Dennis Noonan's desk looks more like a futuristic art installation than a piece of equipment for harnessing wind power.
Standing 1 foot tall, the turbine's thin steel blades and smooth rounded edges resemble a flimsy, oversized drill bit. Save its peculiar aesthetic appeal, the device appears relatively unremarkable - at least until it gets moving. With the slightest breeze, the model launches into a hypnotic dance, spiraling in place as it sucks up the surrounding air, and converts it into electricity.
Noonan, owner of Blanchard Machine Development in Hillsboro, envisions the Spiralairfoil Wind Turbine perched on houses and businesses across the U.S. in the near future. The technology, he said, could revolutionize the wind energy market because the turbine can deliver more power with less wind. It's three to five times more powerful than a traditional three-blade windmill, he said, and can function at a much lower speed, requiring just 2 mph of wind to start up.
Just outside Noonan's office, in a crowded workshop strewn with spare tools and pieces of machinery, is a 6-foot model of the turbine. Instead of steel blades, it's equipped with lightweight G-10 plastic. The material is durable, he said, and can be painted to match the color of a house. The design is also bird-friendly because there's no open space between the blades that the animal will attempt to fly through, he said.
"The funny thing is that when women look at it, they see a piece of art," Noonan said. "Men see it and ask, 'Now what is it, exactly?' "
The turbine was dreamed up and patented by Dan Parker, a Deering inventor who hired Blanchard Machine Development to create a workable design, Noonan said. Parker could not be reached this week for comment.
Videos of the turbine have generated more than 185,000 hits on YouTube, and Noonan said foreign companies have expressed interest in the patent. Last year, an Indian firm offered the company $1 million for rights to the product, but the plan is to create local green jobs and keep production in New Hampshire, Noonan said.
About $1.5 million is needed to test and market the product, Noonan said, and the company is working with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office in Washington, D.C., to secure federal grant money. Shaheen sits on the Senate Subcommittee on Energy, which is crafting legislation that would designate millions for wind energy projects, though it's unclear when the funds would come through.
The next step is testing the turbine against the elements. If the project gets funding, the company will partner with a nonprofit group, Wijokadoak Inc., to test the turbine on 10 American Indian homes across New England. Energy output data would be collected from the sites, and the company would get feedback on each household's experience, Noonan said. NHTI has also expressed interest in testing a model, he said.
It's unclear how much the turbine would cost the average consumer, but Noonan said it would be cheaper than products currently available on the wind and solar markets. Without installation fees, a residential Spiralairfoil Wind Turbine could cost between $3,000 and $10,000, Noonan said. According to figures from the American Wind Energy Association, small residential turbines typically cost between $6,000 and $22,000, with installation included.
Noonan said he sees a bright future for the turbine, projecting first-year sales to reach $77 million. The company is eager to get things started and will continue to explore whatever funding avenues are available, he said.
"To think how much the state and region could benefit from this technology, it's ridiculous," Noonan said. "We're trying to be patient. Hopefully it's only a matter of time."
To view excatly how the turbine works, please copy and paste the following links in to your Internet explorer:
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpSTbR6NZpM&feature=youtube_gdata
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJtCJnN7lXc&feature=youtube_gdata
For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net
Standing 1 foot tall, the turbine's thin steel blades and smooth rounded edges resemble a flimsy, oversized drill bit. Save its peculiar aesthetic appeal, the device appears relatively unremarkable - at least until it gets moving. With the slightest breeze, the model launches into a hypnotic dance, spiraling in place as it sucks up the surrounding air, and converts it into electricity.
Noonan, owner of Blanchard Machine Development in Hillsboro, envisions the Spiralairfoil Wind Turbine perched on houses and businesses across the U.S. in the near future. The technology, he said, could revolutionize the wind energy market because the turbine can deliver more power with less wind. It's three to five times more powerful than a traditional three-blade windmill, he said, and can function at a much lower speed, requiring just 2 mph of wind to start up.
Just outside Noonan's office, in a crowded workshop strewn with spare tools and pieces of machinery, is a 6-foot model of the turbine. Instead of steel blades, it's equipped with lightweight G-10 plastic. The material is durable, he said, and can be painted to match the color of a house. The design is also bird-friendly because there's no open space between the blades that the animal will attempt to fly through, he said.
"The funny thing is that when women look at it, they see a piece of art," Noonan said. "Men see it and ask, 'Now what is it, exactly?' "
The turbine was dreamed up and patented by Dan Parker, a Deering inventor who hired Blanchard Machine Development to create a workable design, Noonan said. Parker could not be reached this week for comment.
Videos of the turbine have generated more than 185,000 hits on YouTube, and Noonan said foreign companies have expressed interest in the patent. Last year, an Indian firm offered the company $1 million for rights to the product, but the plan is to create local green jobs and keep production in New Hampshire, Noonan said.
About $1.5 million is needed to test and market the product, Noonan said, and the company is working with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's office in Washington, D.C., to secure federal grant money. Shaheen sits on the Senate Subcommittee on Energy, which is crafting legislation that would designate millions for wind energy projects, though it's unclear when the funds would come through.
The next step is testing the turbine against the elements. If the project gets funding, the company will partner with a nonprofit group, Wijokadoak Inc., to test the turbine on 10 American Indian homes across New England. Energy output data would be collected from the sites, and the company would get feedback on each household's experience, Noonan said. NHTI has also expressed interest in testing a model, he said.
It's unclear how much the turbine would cost the average consumer, but Noonan said it would be cheaper than products currently available on the wind and solar markets. Without installation fees, a residential Spiralairfoil Wind Turbine could cost between $3,000 and $10,000, Noonan said. According to figures from the American Wind Energy Association, small residential turbines typically cost between $6,000 and $22,000, with installation included.
Noonan said he sees a bright future for the turbine, projecting first-year sales to reach $77 million. The company is eager to get things started and will continue to explore whatever funding avenues are available, he said.
"To think how much the state and region could benefit from this technology, it's ridiculous," Noonan said. "We're trying to be patient. Hopefully it's only a matter of time."
To view excatly how the turbine works, please copy and paste the following links in to your Internet explorer:
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpSTbR6NZpM&feature=youtube_gdata
- www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJtCJnN7lXc&feature=youtube_gdata
For more information please contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net
- Source:
- Online Editorial, www.windfair.net
- Author:
- Posted by Trevor Sievert, Online Editorial Journalist
- Email:
- ts@windfair.net
- Link:
- www.windfair.net/...
- Keywords:
- Wind energy, wind power, wind turbine, wind mill, offshore, onshore, wind far
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