Building-integrated wind turbine technology has been receiving a lot of heat for not being able to deliver what it promises in terms of energy production.
Fast Co. Exist profiles a system that places the turbines where they can actually turn. The WindRail was designed in Zurich, Switzerland, where there isn’t enough space for a wind or solar park. Sitting between a building’s façade and the roof edge, the system combines wind and solar energy harvesting, taking advantage of the building’s air flows, even if it's in the middle of a city.
The system was developed by the Anerdgy. “When wind flows around the building, it creates a pressure difference between the façade and the rooftop. The façade has a higher wind pressure,” CEO of Anerdgy Sven Koehler told Fast Co. Exist. “Because we are channeling the wind and making a connection between the high and low pressure areas, the speeds are faster and we have more energy.”
Koehler, an engineer and economist, came up with the idea with the help of his parents. After years of research, he came up with the WindRail System and started the company in 2012.
According to the company, pressure effect accounts for 50% of the power the WindRail generates. The device comes in two meter modules and can generate 1,500 to 2,000 kWh a year. For comparison, the average U.S. home uses 10,837 kWh a year, Fast Co. Exist reports.
Related Stories
| Jan 16, 2012
Suffolk completes construction on progressive operating suite
5,700 square-foot operating suite to be test bed for next generation of imaged-guided operating techniques.
| Jan 3, 2012
Callison acquires Barteluce Architects & Associates
This acquisition will grow Callison’s New York team to over 75 architects.
| Jan 3, 2012
New Chicago hospital prepared for pandemic, CBR terror threat
At a cost of $654 million, the 14-story, 830,000-sf medical center, designed by a Perkins+Will team led by design principal Ralph Johnson, FAIA, LEED AP, is distinguished in its ability to handle disasters.
| Jan 3, 2012
The Value of Historic Paint Investigations
An expert conservator provides a three-step approach to determining a historic building’s “period of significance”—and how to restore its painted surfaces to the correct patterns and colors.
| Jan 3, 2012
Art Gensler: Still Making a Difference for Clients Every Day
After running what is today the largest architecture firm in the world for more than four decades, M. Arthur Gensler, Jr., FAIA, FIIDA, RIBA, is content to be just another employee at the firm that bears his name.
| Dec 27, 2011
Clayco awarded expansion of Washington University Data Center in St. Louis
Once completed, the new building addition will double the size of the data center which houses sophisticated computer networks that store massive amounts of genomic data used to identify the genetic origins of cancer and other diseases.
| Dec 21, 2011
DOE report details finance options for PV systems in schools
The report examines the two primary types of ownership models used to obtain PV installations for school administrators to use in selecting the best option for deploying solar technologies in their districts.
| Dec 16, 2011
Goody Clancy-designed Informatics Building dedicated at Northern Kentucky University
The sustainable building solution, built for approximately $255-sf, features innovative materials and intelligent building systems that align with the mission of integration and collaboration.
| Dec 10, 2011
10 Great Solutions
The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.
| Dec 9, 2011
BEST AEC FIRMS 2011: EYP Architecture & Engineering
Expertise-Driven Design: At EYP Architecture & Engineering, growing the business goes hand in hand with growing the firm’s people.