I absolutely love this new invention! Designed by French company NewWind, The Wind Tree (Arbre à Vent) is an innovative concept to exploit the airflow passing through the urban or peri-urban areas thanks to its rotating leafs.
The Wind Tree is a wind system whose leaves act like many mini wind turbines capable of providing power and energy autonomy. Clearly, it’s an artistic version of our traditional wind turbines. The major advantage of the Wind Tree is that it can be established everywhere, both in towns and in the country, in perfect harmony with its environment and it’s of course silent!
By lowering the starting threshold for these ultralight turbines, 2 m /s wind speed instead of 3 or 4 m /s for conventional turbines equivalent power, it is possible to operate these trees wind up to 200 days year instead of the usual 100 to 110 days. The trunk steel carries a structure able to withstand raffals of strong wind.
Two trunk sizes 8m and 12m are available in order to stay below the limit that requires a building permit (France). Micro -generated electricity is multiplied by as many leaves as a tree has to reach the required minimum power. From a base, anyone can compose the Wind Tree of his choice to get the power he wants, simply by reducing or increasing the number of leafs / turbines on the branches themselves removable. Its leaves are being clipped by a simple Plug & Play, one can intervene on a leaf without the rest of the production is stopped.
For example; an 8 meters tree with branches including 100 leafs could produce up to 3.5 kWh of electricity, adequate for a household of 4 people.
3 Wind Trees can provide 10.5 kW, enough to recharge your electric car at home or at the parking lot of your business or your usual supermarket.
These charging stations are essential to the development of using electric vehicles.
The average unit price of the system is around 16,000 euros. NewWind has an international patent since October 2012.
The Wind Tree is not only a simple innovation, it is also a beautiful and esthetic innovation! This renewable source is perfectly suited for the local authorities market.
You can view the website (and let Google translate into English) at: www.arbre-a-vent.fr /www.arbre-a-vent-blog.fr