They create “turbine trees” to generate energy with the wind.
With this, wind turbines could be in the past. With a smaller but functional design, this tree allows for decorating cities without harming nature.
Clean and sustainable energy is increasingly accessible and with different variants. From solar panels, hydropower from dams and wind turbines from fields. However, when looking for alternatives to take care of the environment, they did not always look aesthetic or attractive. An example is how wind turbines can obstruct or harm the nature of open fields.
For this reason, an alternative has been sought to harness the energy of the wind without the need for these great giants.
New Wind proposes a new concept, ergonomic and attractive. This company creates trees whose “leaves” work like small windmills to generate electricity. Their main point in favour is that they can be installed in urban areas due to their size. Its design is handled on a much more compact scale than the large blades of other alternatives that must be installed on cities’ outskirts.
The leaves of these trees are called aeroleaf, which recover the speed of the wind and transform it into electrical energy.
Each aeroleaf can create a small amount of electricity. But if we add several of these trees in the area, they can get the energy to light dozens of electric poles. It is estimated that each tree could generate 80% of the energy needed by a home for one year.
This new invention is made of steel, with generators nine meters high and about 8 in diameter. In addition, they can have up to 54 aeroleafs, having a great advantage in urbanized areas, unlike the giant wind turbines that are extremely noisy.
“With 65 watts per leaf, each tree can generate 3.5 kilowatts, an amount that is not very significant on an individual level, but which becomes important when they are grouped.”
The tree is composed of 3 steel trunks divided into small branches that join its 36 turbines. The wind tree can harness all kinds of wind, from gentle breezes to powerful gusts in urban and rural settings.
Wind trees in cities may be the future of all the options for a sustainable world. Some are already operating, and perhaps we will see others worldwide as part of the urban landscape in the future.
Planting just one of these trees is equivalent to saving 864 kg of coal or 779 litres of gasoline per year. The idea is that the trees are in the city and are part of the urban landscape -very similar to what happens today with solar panels in houses- In addition, their construction does not represent a danger to birds or other animals. It can bring benefits to the community.
The WindTree is part of our commitment to social and environmental responsibility and covers our buildings’ energy needs. In addition, it contributes to better workplace attractiveness for all employees. Olivier Guillouet, Director of ICADE