Swift: the quiet little wind turbine that could
Think that you might want to tap into wind energy for your home, but you're worried about subjecting your family to the unwanted noise of a conventional turbine? Starting in July, a quieter and, in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasing option will be come onto the micro-wind scene. The Swift rooftop turbine is a small-scale wind system that has a cool updated windmill design and -- under good wind conditions -- it's expected to provide at least 20% of your home's energy needs.
The Swift is designed to run at under 35 decibels at any wind speed, keeping it quiet enough to meet the zoning requirements of most fussy communities. For a point of reference, whispering is measured at 40dB. The Swift system only needs 2 ft. of clearance from the top of your roof, so it also eliminates some of the need for giant poles. Still, as with most turbines -- the higher the better.
As we've mentioned before, micro-wind systems don't work everywhere. In fact, in many places they're actually not worth their weight in carbon. That said, Swift claims that their turbine is "harm neutral," which mean that it creates more energy than was used in the manufacture or installation of the product. I'm assuming they can guarantee that based on the fact that they survey the wind situation in your area before they install the turbine.
The Swift system was designed by a team in Scotland, but its US production will be undertaken by Cascade Engineering out of Grand Rapids, MI. So, at least the equipment doesn't have to be shipped across an ocean. The price is set at between $10,000 and $12,000.
[via Inhabitat]
The Swift is designed to run at under 35 decibels at any wind speed, keeping it quiet enough to meet the zoning requirements of most fussy communities. For a point of reference, whispering is measured at 40dB. The Swift system only needs 2 ft. of clearance from the top of your roof, so it also eliminates some of the need for giant poles. Still, as with most turbines -- the higher the better.
As we've mentioned before, micro-wind systems don't work everywhere. In fact, in many places they're actually not worth their weight in carbon. That said, Swift claims that their turbine is "harm neutral," which mean that it creates more energy than was used in the manufacture or installation of the product. I'm assuming they can guarantee that based on the fact that they survey the wind situation in your area before they install the turbine.
The Swift system was designed by a team in Scotland, but its US production will be undertaken by Cascade Engineering out of Grand Rapids, MI. So, at least the equipment doesn't have to be shipped across an ocean. The price is set at between $10,000 and $12,000.
[via Inhabitat]
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