Sunday, March 29, 2009

Size and General Aesthetics of Ducted and Swift Turbines

The following two pictures illustrate the rough proportional size to the West face of Old Main. Click an image to enlarge it.
*Note* Old main is not actually crooked. This picture is a combination of 6 pictures. It's sufficient quality for the point of this thread, though.

The first picture shows what Swift wind turbines would look like. The dimensions are accurate to under 12", so it's fairly proportional.

The second picture shows what the more discreet Ducted turbines would look like. The dimensions are not accurate, as the sizes may vary depending on the type used.





Pictures by Brandon Dallamore
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3 comments:

  1. Amanda PycockMarch 29, 2009 at 8:18 PM

    I like your first picture with the wind turbines on top of Old Main. It really helps you visualize what your idea could look like.

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  2. john j mcbrideMarch 29, 2009 at 10:46 PM

    hey brandon, nice work on the picture cropping, this is a really good idea for a visual. Are the ducted turbines less efficient or more expensive? Can both kinds be found in North America or do they have to be shipped from elsewhere?

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  3. BrandonMarch 30, 2009 at 5:42 PM

    Thanks Amanda! I wasn't sure of what graphic I should use. Any suggestions on other ones? I've never been extremely creative...

    John, there are quite a few things different between the Swift turbines and the Ducted ones.
    The ducted ones can be ordered from China or Japan (which would cost much more), or they may be able to be bought in Canada. The advantage to these is that they are much more visually appealing (much less obstructive to the sight). The ducted wind turbines pick up the wind accelerated by the side of the building, which makes them provide more electricity. Their major disadvantage is that they are very directional, and will only work if the wind direction is close-to-perpendicular to the roof line.
    Although the Swift turbines do not produce as much energy, they can rotate to gather a wider angle of wind. They are also much cheaper (2-year payoff period), and are designed to very rarely need maintainence.

    Those are what I feel to be the best 2 options for wind turbines now, but I'll be consulting a professional to get some of his or her opinions.
    I also need to find out if the wind direction is to varying to use ducted wind turbines on the roof of Old Main.


    http://www.esru.strath.ac.uk/EandE/Web_sites/02-03/zero_emission_bldgs/descripwindturbines_files/image002.gif

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