A home helical wind turbine built by local contractor Lawrence Scardaci has been unveiled in Poughkeepsie, New York. I’ve talked about helical shaped home wind turbines before especially rooftop wind generators and those like the Helix that can be used either on the rooftop or mounted high up in the yard.
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.