Archimedes Small Wind Turbine

Thinking of renewable wind energy typically brings to mind visions of large, industrial-scale wind turbines turning in a field. Commercial wind energy is growing by leaps and bounds, creating clean, renewable energy for millions of people worldwide. There is a smaller, but ready to start growing, field of small-scale wind energy for individual homes and businesses. A Dutch company has created the Archimedes wind turbine that is turning heads in the renewable energy industry.

Wind energy produced on a small-scale level at a home or business has been slower to catch on than larger industrial-scale production for a couple of reasons. First, smaller wind turbines have not created enough electricity to justify their high costs.

Even worse, most small wind turbines create noise as much as they create power; the noise and vibrations made their presence an inconvenience to home and business owners. The noise they created made them difficult to install on structures. The cleanest, freest energy in the world isn’t worth it if the thing making it creates enormous amounts of distracting noise.

The Archimedes: Strong Power, Quiet Operation

Archimedes, a Dutch company, has taken steps to eliminate both of these small wind turbine issues. Their product, the Liam F1 turbine, is a small-scale wind turbine designed for residential or commercial use, is nearly silent when in operation and creates power much more efficiently than earlier generations of small wind turbines.

How Much Energy Will the Liam F1 Turbine Create?

Archimedes says their Liam F1 turbine is capable of generating 1,500 kWh of energy annually at wind speeds of around 11 mph. As with all wind turbines, more power is created with higher wind speeds, less power at lower speeds. With these stated power creation capabilities, the Archimedes Liam F1 turbine would generate enough electricity to cover half of an average home’s energy usage. That’s not bad!

Off the Grid with Solar and The Archimedes Liam F1 Turbine

Using wind turbines in conjunction with solar panels is a popular way for homeowners to go completely off-grid and produce all of their energy needs on-site. This mix of renewable energy sources works because the wind blows day and night, and it’s often windy on cloudier days when solar isn’t generating as much power. It’s a beautiful, complimentary combination. The new Archimedes Liam F1 turbine makes a perfect match with rooftop solar panels to allow for full-time off-grid living.

The Unique Archimedes Wind Turbine Design

The Archimedes wind turbine blades take their inspiration from the Nautilus shell. This unique design (which is actually quite elegant to look at) allows the turbine to point into the wind in order to capture the maximum amount of wind energy with a minimum of noise.

The Archimedes design allows it to perform very efficiently. The company says that the power output of the Liam F1 turbine is 80 percent of the theoretical maximum energy that is in the wind.

The nautilus shaped blades of the Archimedes Liam F1 turbine also allow for better performance by creating the ability to make energy even when the wind is hitting the turbine at an angle. The conical shape of the turbine blades turns the turbine automatically into the best possible wind direction without the need for costly software.

Because the wind turbine meets less wind resistance due to its design, there is virtually no noise.

How Much Will It Cost?

When it becomes available in January 2015, the Liam F1 turbine should have a cost of about $5,400. Like most residential renewable energy systems, the Archimedes turbine is definitely not cheap. But it’s important to factor in the amount of free energy it will create over its life span. Residential renewable energy is a long-term investment, where unfortunately almost all of the investment comes at the front end. Consumers thinking about the Archimedes Liam F1, or any other renewable energy products, should always research any available local, state, or federal tax credits for renewable energy systems.

Archimedes Liam F1: Part of an Overall Green Home Strategy

People who choose to invest in residential wind and solar products are usually also taking proactive steps to reduce the overall amount of energy their home needs in the first place. This is an important point: the less energy a home needs, the more effective wind and solar energy become.

Here's a video chronicling the history of the Archimedes Liam F1 Wind Turbine:

 

For more information, click here to visit the Archimedes website.

 

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