New wind turbine design aims to produce electricity within urban spaces

A new modular wind turbine design called Airiva Wind Energy System is set to enter the distributed wind power market in 2025 and produce electricity near where it is consumed.

Furthermore, the first version of the project was introduced in 2021 and was part of 16 conceptual designs.

These designs were narrowed down, some of them got tested in wind tunnel facilities, and the current version was found to be the best performing one.

However, as the systems aspires to be largely used in urban environments such as campuses, roadsides and buildings, aesthetics were made a top priority.

The result is a four helical turbine unit, which measures 2.1 meters in length and height, as well as 1.05 meters in depth, while they are designed as segments able to be networked together, forming wall-like structures, and fitting site-specific needs.

Each four-turbine segment can generate up to 1.100 kilowatts per hour, while it is mostly composed of aluminum, and 80% of its production materials are scheduled to be recycled.

Moreover, the main idea behind the project is that producing electricity close to where it is consumed results in less power loss due to transportation deficits.

Due to the exponential scalability of energy production with turbine size, such a product would occupy rather large areas to provide energy autonomy. Namely, ten four-turbine segments would be needed to cover a single U.S. household’s energy needs.

So, its usability would mostly come from helping companies achieve net zero faster, and without sacrificing their premises’ aesthetics.

Finally, the producers are aiming to put their full-scale prototype to the test in 2024 and go into commercial production in 2025.