6 Wind Turbines That Look Like Works of Art

Wind power is the fastest growing form of clean energy; it's cheaper, safer, and, for the first time ever, potentially more efficient than coal power, thanks to better technology and better design. But there’s one small problem: Recent efforts by individuals in the government—fans of “clean coal”—to dismantle certain environmental protections are taking aim at the alternative energy economy. Wind power, then, could use all the extra help it can get. That’s why now more than ever, when it comes to protecting the environment, aesthetics are key. Here, we present six design-minded wind turbines that do the job for clean energy while masking themselves as art.

Vortex Bladeless

Conceived and created by a Spanish-born but now Boston-based team, the Vortex , currently in development stage, is a bladeless turbine designed to generate electricity by oscillating in the wind. It’s got zero gears and zero bearings, which reduces manufacturing and maintenance needs, and is respectful of nature and neighbors (noiseless, no moving parts). Best of all, its semirigid fiberglass design looks far sleeker than your average telephone pole.

Windspire Energy

Windspire ’s tall and slender 30-foot-by-4-foot vertical axis turbines—powered by a thin, propellerless rotor—can survive winds up to 105 mph—and come out looking as unruffled as ever. (Or, as the company puts it, “So intoxicating, they belong in a winery.”)

Tyler Wind

Created by a team of Tunisian engineers, Tyer Wind was inspired by the figure-eight flapping motion of a hummingbird, the only bird capable of sustained hovering. The result is a quiet, environmentally safer option that also happens to look pretty spectacular against the backdrop of a sunset.

Quiet Revolution

In places throughout the U.K., the turbine’s simple and beautiful helical design enables it to collect wind from all different directions while also lending dramatic aesthetic appeal to buildings. Quiet Revolution pioneered efforts throughout Britain to integrate turbines as part of architectural design and has since inspired a number of copycats.

Challenergy

By replacing standard blades with vertical columns, this Japanese-engineered turbine was created to not only withstand but also tap into the energy from the destructive wind force of typhoons. The energy generated by one typhoon, says Challenergy ’s founder, could power up the entire country of Japan for 50 years. Though it’s hard to miss, it appears more oversized egg-beater than clean energy breakthrough.

Altaros Energies

Call it the most upwardly mobile of the bunch: Developed by the MIT-educated minds at Massachusetts-based Altaeros Energies , the Buoyant Air Turbine uses a helium-filled shell to float to altitudes up to 2,000 feet, where it can harness stronger, steadier winds. Three tethers keep the turbine from floating away and also serve as conduits for bringing the generated energy back down to Earth.