Wind turbine with funnels
Featuring a wide-mouth funnel design, a new wind turbine could lower the cost of wind power to a price that is competitive with natural gas.
The new design will capture the wind with its wide-mouthed funnels, directing the wind though narrow passages that will naturally speed up its flow. The accelerated wind will then be sent to a ground-level turbine, which will make maintenance both easier and safer while also reducing noise and vibration.
The new technology will generate energy from winds at speeds as low as 2 mph. In addition, the smaller size of the unit (it is 50 percent shorter than current wind towers and the generator blades are 84 percent smaller) will keep material costs low.