Rooftop and Urban Wind
This category is primarily about how not to or where not to install wind turbines–of any size. There are legitimate urban wind installations. These are typically commercial-scale turbines sited to best advantage within urban agglomerations. However, there is an unfortunate proliferation of “rooftop urban wind” projects that are nothing more than architectural greenwashing.
A Tale of Two Turbines and Eiffel’s Tower
By
Paul Gipe
By now everyone has seen the fawning news accounts—several times, no doubt—that a US company has installed two wind turbines inside—yes, inside—the Eiffel Tower.
The Unknown Wind Turbine of San Francisco Bay or Angel Island State Park’s Enertech E44
By
Paul Gipe
Yes, there’s a wind turbine in San Francisco Bay. It’s probably one of only two commercial wind turbines in all …
Bay Area Wind Turbines (No, the Other Bay)
By
Paul Gipe
Boston and the communities around Boston Harbor have more commercial wind turbines than the entire San Francisco Bay, including one …
Poor Comparison Between Small VAWT and Small HAWT: UGE’s VisionAIR Pushing the Limits. . . of Hype
By
Paul Gipe
In the spring of 2014, Urban Green Energy (UGE) announced with much fanfare that they had completed third-party performance testing …
Honeywell Windtronics–ACE Hardware’s Revenge
By
Paul Gipe
It was an odd call. An ACE hardware store deep in Michigan called with a request for parts to the …
Questionable Turbines and Siting Give Architects, LEED, Green Builders, and Wind Bad Name
By
Paul Gipe
Updated with a photo of the 18 Venger V2 Savonius turbines on the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
