Tilting the Windmills

These researchers are not tilting at windmills, they are tilting the turbines!

A new small wind turbine has been designed and is currently being tested at Idaho National Laboratory’s Center for Advanced Energy Studies.  Lest you think that efficient residential wind turbines are but figments of the imagination, tilting the windmills may change your mind.

Quite literally, the Blackhawk Project involves tilting windmills from a horizontal to a vertical axis, which will result in greater energy production and added durability.

From the website:

“Researchers from the Blackhawk Project LLC are testing and monitoring a new Blackhawk Tilt Rotor (TR-10) Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) recently installed at CAES. This wind system, developed by Blackhawk, represents what could be a significant evolution in wind energy technology.”

“Blackhawk’s unique design distinguishes it from traditional wind energy systems. The most obvious distinction is that its helicopter-like wings, known as airfoils, rotate parallel to the ground, unlike most commercial turbines.”

Check out the Blackhawk wind turbine in motion:

The Blackhawk TR-10 wind turbine

If you are interested in a small wind turbine to help generate clean electricity for your home or business, the Blackhawk TR-10 is not yet on the market.  Testing is continuing at the Idaho National Laboratory.

Yet the following facts show that the vertical windmill may take off once it hits the market:

• The Blackhawk wind turbine will be a “low-cost, low-maintenance alternative to horizontal-axis residential turbines”

• It can produce electricity in winds as light as 7 mph. Propeller-type windmills typically require speeds of 12 to 15 mph.

• Energy generated is about 1.5 kilowatts (per windmill) – enough to supplement energy needs of a single-family home, or power a workshop

• The entire turbine can fit in the back of a pickup.  Even better, it will take only about 3 hours to install – perfect for a DIY project!

• The TR-10 has only a 10-foot diameter, which is perfectly sized for the small wind turbine market in rural and semi-rural areas

• Engineering of the Blackhawk wind turbine allows “on-the-fly” automatic adjustment to wind speeds, allowing it to function in sustained winds of over 100 mph

• Operation of the vertical windmill is virtually silent, addressing one of the often-stated concerns about small wind turbines

The Blackhawk wind turbine would be perfect for my in-laws who live in Central Oregon on 40 acres.  My father-in-law has a shop and several outbuildings that could be powered by a single vertical windmill.  An additional turbine could also be installed to provide electricity for their home.

The quest for affordable, efficient renewable energy does not require tilting at windmills…. but perhaps just tilting the windmills themselves.