Kathleen O’Donnel, an architect of Chicago, USA, revealed her experiences using a wind turbine to power her family home conversion. She went for something new and unexpected – forget about the usual blades, this one – an 8-foot tall helical-blade generator. It is allegedly much more efficient when it comes to catching light breezes. And, I tell you, in a city environment it is very important.
A new helical-blade wind turbine costs $7,500 which is Ooh, but wait until I tell you how much she paid for the thing in the end (to get it installed and stuff) – whopping $16,500. She says that the device can provide the electricity necessary for the home but as it was only installed in October, she cannot provide exact data on its performance. Anyway, she hasn’t come off the grid yet, but there is a potential to do so.
Another reason why it works for Mrs O’Donnel is that she has just moved her architect practice into her house. She’ll get the initial investment back pretty soon, I should think.
Full feature here on Chicago Cityscapes.
