A company called Bluenergy has done just that. The Bluenergy SolarWind turbine is a helical wind generator covered with photovoltaic cells. The beauty of the SolarWind turbine, besides it aesthetically pleasing design, is that when the sun is shining it collects energy. Also, when the wind is churning (up to 90 mph) it is also collecting energy.

And, when the sun in shining and wind is blowing it is doing double duty in creating electricity. Solar energy is intermittent since the sun doesn’t shine all day. Wind energy is intermittent because the air isn’t always moving. The SolarWind turbine, however, has the potential to smooth out this intermittent renewable energy problem.

Because of the design by Bluenergy, the turbine turns as relatively low wind speeds. In addition, because of the helical design and the presumed turning of the turbine, the photovoltaic cells are receiving maximum sun coverage. The photovoltaic cells don’t have to track the sun from sunup to sundown in order to create energy.

When I had talked about Ethiopia installing large, commercial grade wind turbines it was the French who were helping with the efforts. In Kenya it is the Belgians who have stepped up to the plate to bring the 165 ft. tall turbines to this African nation.

Kenya itself is facing a power crisis as the flow of the rivers has slowed meaning hydroelectric power production is down. In much of rural Kenya power consumption is low and each wind turbine tower will be enough to supply 1,000 homes with electricity.

In much of the U. S. and Europe, citizens have a “not in my backyard” attitude towards wind turbines, but in Kenya, people are eager for new, renewable power and don’t mind the wind generators’ addition to the landscape.

In addition, the Kenya government wants to expand the national grid by 150,000 homes per year, so the addition of clean, renewable energy to the grid is welcomed by many.

The gist of the article is that yes, large scale, thousand plus turbine wind farms could have some effect on the weather. But, does this really matter? According to the WP the downwind turbulence from the turbine blades could dry out the soil a bit and have a small impact on storms.

But, what fails to come through clearly is that any structure built upon a barren plain in the Midwest could have a small impact on the weather. Other things that impact the weather include skyscrapers and other large structures built on any land anywhere, trees (large, small, a forest or just a few), other towers such as for power lines, the turbulence caused by large commercial jets taking off and landing.

Anytime the landscape is changed in a significant way, yes, this can impact the weather. Now, to put forth the worst case scenario of large wind farms having significant impact is at best a scare tactic and at worst, really a non-story.

Will large wind farms cause massive tornadoes, flooding, electric storm chaos and another Hurricane Katrina? No. Will they have some impact? Of course. Put a thousand people on a large plot of land and there will be different impacts, too. But, it’s not catastrophic and we deal with it.

The reason that the kites need to fly is that the jet stream starts at around 30,000 ft above the ground and it is this continuous blast of wind that could be harnessed to produce electricity. Now, this also begs the question that since the major airlines also use the jet stream to travel from coast to coast cutting down on flying time, will this kites present a problem to air travel?

Wind kite farms would have to be developed and mapped out so that pilots could avoid collision with the high flying electricity generators. In addition, will these kites not attract and be compromised by lightning strikes as well? We wouldn’t want a bunch of Ben Franklin scenarios now would we?

Obviously there are many technical and logistical issues to be worked out before we see a farm of Kite Runners popping up above the Big Apple anytime soon. If these logistics can be worked out if would be mean a short distance of travel between alternative energy source and users (unlike traditional wind farms).

The six small five-bladed turbines parallel each other (three on a side) around a larger cylindrical structure (pictured). The turbines are said to accelerate the wind in a way that a single bladed wind generator cannot.

Designed for businesses such as hospitals, corporation campuses, college campuses or any large complex that has electricity bills between $35,000 and $75,000 per year, the Optiwind 150 & 300 can handle this large load.

The Optiwind 150 has an output of 150 kw (thus the name) and the Optiwind 300 has an output of 300 kw. Put aside your preconceptions on this one as this is just the kind of green innovation we need moving into an energy independent economy.

The former automakers will now be building 74-ton wind turbines aided by Michigan’s state mandate for power companies to provide 10-percent renewable energy from wind and solar by 2015. When the company ramps up in two years time, it is expected to grow to 400 employees and turn out 400 utility scale wind turbines a year at a cost of around $2 million each.

The 1.5 megawatt wind turbines will populate wind farms in Michigan and other regions. Each wind turbine contains around 8,000 precision milled parts, some of which will come from up to 500 other Michigan suppliers. The newly hired workers from Global Wind Systems will work on assembly lines to construct the huge turbines.

There is a bit of irony of course in repurposing former auto workers (who were employed by car manufacturers who contributed to greenhouse gases and global warming) into those gainful employed in the zero emissions renewable energy industry. And, this is just such an irony that is good for all parties involved.

On the West Coast, there is also significant wind resources as well, though they are found in deeper water, farther offshore and present more challenges than wind turbines on the East Coast closer to shore. Some would argue that if they don’t want to see offshore oil rigs off the coastline that they also don’t want to see wind turbine platforms as well.

This is a point well taken. Some wind turbine structures most likely will be close to shore while others can be miles offshore and not offend the horizon. Wind turbines also don’t present the risk of oil spills as drilling for petroleum presents.

The Obama administration wants to go forward with renewable energy for this country. Wind turbines represent an alternative to the “drill, baby, drill” philosophy although they may not be as unobtrusive as a row of solar panels on the desert floor.

Wind turbine technicians can expect to make $18 per hour and up to start. They also need to have some mechanical abilities, computer knowledge and the desire to climb 27-story structures throughout the day.

In 2007, 3,188 wind turbines were erected in the U. S. with many more expected this year if the credit crunch lifts and construction can continue. Over the next 10 years, the wind turbine industry may account for as many as 500,000 new jobs including manufacturing and construction.

For those who are not afraid of heights and want to retool their careers (or just begin their careers) then wind energy jobs are likely to be a growth industry for many years to come.

The tax credit for homeowners with residential wind generators will be a small fraction of the proposed $800 billion stimulus package now before Congress. In 2008, about 1,500 residential wind turbines were sold to consumers.

An alternative, however, is to build your own wind generator. Many homeowners are now taking advantage of the unique wind turbine plans such as those offered by my fellow green compatriots and alternative energy enthusiasts, Les and Jane who are living off-grid themselves, having developed their own homegrown residential wind turbine.

Now, Les and Jane are willing to share their story and wind generator plans with you. For around $100, you can start living the dream of saving energy and the environment with your own wind generator that you can build over a weekend. And, when you are done, why not thumb your nose at the taxman as you’re collecting your federal credit?

Upon first glance of Fuller’s vertical axis wind turbine one can see that it is different than the three blades horizontal utility scale wind generators to which we have been accustomed. One can also see that this machine is unique even among other vertical axis wind turbines.

The structure (picture left) that Fuller has built is approximately 12 ft. wide by 36 ft. tall and features 8 rows of 4 scoop units revolving around a single axel. As one can see the design is bird friendly since birds can actually see this turbine rather than the swift blades of a horizontal design.

One of the problems Fuller is facing is money. He’s sunk all of his dinero into this project and tapped on the shoulders of all politicians in Wisconsin and Illinois with no luck. People seem to view his vertical wind turbine as a nice piece of art and a novelty, and neglect the fact that his machine has three times the output of a comparable horizontal axis wind turbine.

Fuller calculates that if his design was scaled up to around 120 ft. tall, it would produce between 30,000 and 75,000 kilowatt hours per month or enough to power 30 to 75 average homes.

Fuller has an even new design (picture right) that he also hopes to develop if he can find some angel investors. One could easily picture this vertical axis wind turbine outside a major metropolitan museum, providing power and in a visually appealing manner.