There is a wind turbine design that was used in Spain where the turbine sits horizontally in side of a tower and the wind comes in through openings in the tower and drives the turbine. It is considered much safer for animals, it is sheltered out of the elements. It is considered to be 25 per cent less efficient and a little more costly than an exposed vertical wind machine but id the wind is free the 25 per cent less efficiency will be more than made up for. The tower with internalized turbine is also quieter.
If you are going to have wind turbine power, that is the way to do it!
350 years of proven, recoverable coal in North America.
Why walk away ?
A turbine that is safer from slicing birds still does not stop the death of bats, the sound pollution driving people/animals insane and the fact wind cannot meet any cost/benefit analysis.
Since towers are only 25% efficient that makes the horizontal ones only about 18% efficient. By that metric, why bother? Besides the higher costs to manufacture, the power needed to make the component parts likely exceeds the lifetime power generation of the unit before failure.
mdmathis6 wrote: “There is a wind turbine design that was used in Spain where the turbine sits horizontally in side of a tower and the wind comes in through openings in the tower and drives the turbine.”
Do these horizontal towers rotate to follow the wind?
#4 I bet birds get sucked in and “cuisinarted” : )