A clever idea from a French team of engineers and architects is to build vertical-axis wind turbines into existing towers that carry high-voltage power lines. The idea was good enough to win a $10,000 Metropolis Next Generation Design Prize.
Judges say Wind-it, winner of the Metropolis Next Generation Design Prize, solves the problem of linking energy generation and transmission by mounting vertical-axis wind turbines inside transmission towers.
The team, Julien Choppin, 31, and Nicola Delon, 31, are partners in Paris architectural firm. Also sharing the prize is Raphaël Ménard, director of a 20-person design firm.
The concept behind the winning design, called Wind-it, answers one challenge to developing wind power: where to site turbines. The idea uses existing infrastructure, the towers and pylons that carry more than 157,000 miles of high voltage lines in the U.S. The proposed turbines can be stacked within already sited towers. No design details are available as to weight, cost, or efficiency of the proposed turbines.
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