These undulating wooden blades are harvesting wind. The €60,000 (£43,000) Hercules turbine is built by Italian company ENESSERE and can provide up to 5,500kWh a year -- enough to power an average home. It's currently sold to homeowners in Italy, and will be available in the UK, Holland and the US later this year. "Wind is the most democratic primary resource," says Alberto Tessaro, the company's founder.
Now it is addingAI -- developing an algorithm that enables the turbine controller to "learn" wind patterns in a given environment, so it can predict periods of low wind and turn the blades on or off as required.
The 8m-high spire is made of stainless steel, with three turbine "sails" that use 4,000 slices of cedar wood. When the blades rotate, the carbon-fibre spokes turn an alternator generator to create power for use or to store. When the wind dips, a controller adjusts the blades, so the turbine doesn't lose momentum.
Next, the firm is looking to bring turbines to large-scale wind farms. But no matter how big Hercules gets, Tessaro won't sacrifice its elegance: "We are like the Maserati of the wind," he says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
