A company called Quiet Revolution has come out with a better mousetrap in regard to residential wind turbines. What makes the Quiet Revolution wind turbines unique is the vertical axis that the blades rotate upon.
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.
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