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.

I’ve selected four categories within the wind power generators industry to profile including Large Scale, Large Residential, Residential Rooftop and DIY Wind Generator Plans. Here’s my top list of wind power generators large and small.

Large Scale Wind Power Generators

General Electric is one of the biggest builders and suppliers of wind power generators in the world with over 8,400 installation worldwide and counting. GE has assembly plants in the U. S., Canada, Germany, Spain and China. And, of course, GE has large contracts with T. Boone Pickens so this is nothing to sneeze at as well.

Vestas is a Copenhagen-based wind power generator company that has over 35,000 wind turbines installed worldwide. The next time you’re in the area why not take your Vespa electric scooter out for a tour of the Vestas wind farm?

Siemens is another of the large players in the wind power generation marketplace with turbines ranging from 1.3 MW to 3.6 MW in size. Siemens builds both large, utility scale on-shore and off-shore wind power generators.

Gamesa is Spain’s largest wind power supplier that also has cornered up to 15-percent of the global marketplace as well. Gamesa claims 21,000 MW of power distributed to 13 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

Suzlon currently has around 10.5-percent of the world’s market in wind power generators and is the fifth leading wind turbine supplier in the world. Currently, Suzlon is developing the largest wind farm in Asia in Dhule, Maharshtra.

Large Residential Wind Power Generators

The Helix turbine is a large, elegant, non-rotor wind power generator that delivers torque along its vertical axis. The Helix was developed for a large range of wind speeds in mind and for use in urban settings.

Bergey WindPower offers large residential wind turbines for farm, small businesses and home use. Most of their wind power generators are in the 10 kw range.

Entegrity Wind Systems offers 50 kw wind power generators for farms, large home, schools, small businesses and industrial waste facilities. Some of their larger systems can also be used for villages and small towns.

Residential Rooftop Wind Power Generators

Air X residential wind turbine can deliver up to 400 watts of power to provide supplementary electricity to one’s home or home office. At less than $600, one of these small residential rooftop wind power generators can run one’s electronic and appliances.

Swift Wind Turbine has a line of small rooftop wind power generators that sit just 2 feet off the roof and can supply supplemental power for one’s home.

DIY Wind Power Generator Plans

Homemade Power Plant is a set of do-it-yourself plans that shows you step-by-step how to create a home wind power generator to save money and promote a healthy environment. The plans are easy, laid out in a straight forward fashion and parts can be purchased from a home supply store.

Earth 4 Energy is another popular program with DIY’ers that is easy to use, easy to read and gets results for those who use these plans to build a wind power generator. Laid out in a little different fashion than Homemade Power Plant but these plans still have everything you’ll need to go down to Home Depot and get started this weekend.

Off Grid Living is for the more hardcore environmentalist who wants to do everything possible to get away from the Big Utility Companies. These wind power generator plans are from Les and Jane who have “been there and done that” when it comes to building their own homemade renewable energy systems.

This is my top list of wind power generators large and small. Of course, there are some resources that didn’t cut the mustard and make the list. Wind energy is an emerging market just on the cusp of taking off. Why don’t you get involved in your own wind energy project today?

Scardaci has designed a helical wind turbine that can be used on flat rooftops where there is more wind or it can be used also by municipalities on street corners and on the top of flat roofed buildings. This modern day windmill will be sure to appeal to some farmers as well.

If my grandfather was alive today, I’m sure he’d have something akin to this in his farm in Michigan rather than the one he used in the 1960’s and 1970’s to pump water from his well. The product that Scardaci is showing off on the streets of Poughkeepsie, though, is a prototype so it’s not quite ready for prime time.

In another year or so a larger version of the one shown here will be able to generate 1.5 kw to 2 kw of electricity with a minimum 6.2 mph wind. According to Scardaci, the home wind turbine is safe for birds, oblivious to ice, self-limiting in strong winds and can be mounted sideways if desire so that the blades rotate along a horizontal axis instead of a vertical one.

The home helical wind turbine can also be stacked in rows to take advantage of the most power output possible. This may not look as “pretty” as some wind turbines now days, but it looks to be more stable and if it lives up to its billing, it will give homeowners quite a rollback on their electric meters.

A horizontal axis is more efficient when it is pelted with consistent winds. A vertical axis, however, is efficient in all kinds of wind conditions including gusts and turbulence from surrounding buildings or other obstructions.

The winds don’t have to come from consistent directions or at consistent speeds for a Quiet Revolution turbine to work its magic. I’ve talked before about the Helix wind turbines, based in California, which is based upon a similar concept.

The Quiet Revolution, however, is not so quietly catching on in the UK and other European nations for backyards, city parks and rooftops of homes and businesses. Still a bit on the pricey side, the Quiet Revolution QR5 is retailing for about $44,000, which means that a significant price drop is needed to make this economically feasible for the average household.

Still the UK-based company has been able to procure wind generator installations at the Kings College School in Wimbledon, high-rise buildings and a chain of pubs. This three-year old company has also started winning design and technical awards as well.

The next iteration of Quiet Revolution wind generator, the QR 2.5 will be only 2.5 meters high (as opposed to 5 meters of the QR 5) and be more economically priced at around $14,000. This is the model that has many homeowners clamoring as it will be suited well for residential rooftops and promises to generate between 3,000 and 4,500 kWh per year in a decent wind location.

Solar is another way to go in regard to renewable energy, but when is the last time you’ve heard of a solar installation costing less than $1,000? Air-X is a line of small residential wind turbines that one can use on the home, cabin, or in some cases boat.

The Air-X is a high tech residential wind turbine that uses a microprocessor to optimize alternator output and slow the blades in high wind conditions to avoid the fluttering noise and inefficient rotation making for a much quieter machine. The carbon reinforced blades also have a modified pitch angle, which helps to cut through the breeze and add more power.

The Air-X residential wind turbines produce 400 Watts of power when it reaches a 28 MPH wind speed and works in winds as low as 7.5 mph. The turbine also provides 38 kW per month in based on an average 12 MPH wind.

The microprocessor also takes care of efficient battery charging. For instance these residential wind turbines can charge a battery bank from 25 to 25,000 amp hours safely by shutting itself off when reaching maximum capacity. When sensing a full charge, the generator will come to almost a complete stop.

And, the Air-X residential wind turbines also have a marine version that works well on seaside cabins and on boats and ships. The carbon-fiber blades and coated aluminum body resists corrosion.

With residential wind turbines becoming more efficient and less expensive, its no wonder why manufacturers such as Air-X are blowing away the competition.

The video shows a small demonstration model, but the actual working wind turbines are far larger, providing greater electrical output. Helix Wind now offers a 2kw model (Savonious 2.0) at 6 ft. by 4 ft. and a 5 kw model (Savonious 5.0) at 15 ft. by 4 ft.

Because of their unique design Helix Wind turbines are capable of capturing omni-directional winds and transforming this into electrical energy. In addition, the turbines are extremely quiet, operating just 5 decibels above ambient background noise.

The helical design of the Helix Wind turbines gives the unit an added advantage over other turbines in that they may be installed in residential areas not appropriate for the other turbines. The Savonious units are safe for birds and bats and may be installed in areas of limited air space.

The Helix Wind Savonious units only need a minimum of a 6 mph breeze in which to operate. In most cases, wind turbines on homes will need a building permit and the Helix Wind turbines are no different, so if you buy a unit, be prepared to get a conditional use permit or variance from the city or county in which you live.

The Helix Wind turbines like most other turbines are best suited for homes in states that allow net metering, so that you can roll back the meter on your electric bills. In order to see the rules for net metering in your state check out the map provides by the U. S. Department of Energy.