A designer is transforming clean energy into a work of art by reimagining the structural features of wind turbines. According to an article in Fast Company, designer and inventor Joe Doucet developed a way to fuse function and aesthetic appeal with his beautiful wind turbine wall.
Doucet's revolutionary design replaced the traditional windmill turbines with a row of helix-shaped blades that twist in the wind. As the vertical turbines harness wind energy, they turn in sync, creating a rippling effect that mimics a curtain blowing in the wind.
To turn his vision into a reality, Doucet co-founded the company Airiva, a startup dedicated to innovating renewable energy and changing how the world approaches sustainability. After over two years of research, design work, and engineering tests, Doucet and his team at Airiva have a wind product that is both beautiful and functional.
The team initially tested out 16 different blade designs, but after numerous rounds of testing in two locations — the University of Washington and a wind tunnel on the East Coast — the helix-shaped blades proved to be the most efficient combination of function and visual appeal.
Vertical wind turbines are not a new concept themselves; however, Airiva is striving to offer companies a more visually-pleasing alternative to traditional turbines. While large, windmill-like turbines produce more power than Airiva's smaller, vertical turbines, Airiva's goal is to help companies transition to renewable energy without sacrificing the look of their campus.
Throughout the design and engineering processes, Doucet was determined to maintain the beauty of the turbines, having said, "If it's not beautiful, we have failed."
By helping companies transition to clean energy sources, Airiva is paving the way toward a cleaner future. Reducing the world's use of dirty energy not only decreases the amount of pollution in the atmosphere but also protects communities from natural disasters driven by our changing climate.
After the initial manufacturing process to create the turbines, wind energy is a pollution-free source of power.
Though Airiva's vertical wind turbines are not ready to hit the market just yet, the team at Airiva is confident their turbines will offer clean energy production at a competitive price.
"By fusing design, research, innovation, and engineering to expand the way we think about renewable energy, we are on a continual path to bring new products to the world," the company says on its website.
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