A Chaska, Minnesota-based company, called Sheer Wind, has scored a recent victory in the ongoing battle to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. The Invelox is a revolutionary new way to harvest wind power. The new design could bring the cost of wind power down enough to become competitive with coal or natural gas. According to SheerWind, the Invelox costs less than 1 cent per KWH (currently conventional wind power plants cost about 45 to 80 cents), requires no government subsidies to be profitable, reduces operating cost by 50% of current wind turbines, as well as minimizing environmental impact to bird populations. With these kind of figures renewable energy might just be on the verge of kicking fossil fuels to the curb.

The Invelox is such a simple design concept that it might have you asking why no one has thought of it before. Instead of collecting energy from high-speed winds pushing and passing through the giant blades of a rotor, it captures wind using wide-mouthed funnels. The wind is then directed through a tapered passage way that actually accelerates the wind flow. For example, if wind enters the funnels at 10 mph it will increase to 40 mph by the time it hits the turbine that drives the generator. Sheerwind claims that accelerating the air flow allows the turbine to work even at speeds as low as 2 mph. This is an obvious geographic advantage because areas that were previously considered to be unsuitable for wind farming can now be utilized.

Invelox’s clever design concept of bringing airflow from the top of the tower to ground level has several other advantages. It permits greater power generation with much smaller turbine blades, and in controlled tests SheerWind claims the new turbine produces 600% more electrical energy. Having the generator at ground level also allows for networking possibilities; providing the ability to direct energy from several turbines to one generator. Fewer generators combined with a unit that is 50% shorter and turbine blades that are 84% smaller result in less equipment, less maintenance, and therefore lowers the overall cost. One of the coolest things about the Invelox is that the design is scalable. This means the device is suitable for use in major wind farms or micro-generation settings. Its ability to produce power at much lower wind speeds gives it an overall wider range of applications.

Some of the claims might seem too good to be true, but currently SheerWind has built and tested a commercial-grade field demo and claims that testing has exceeded expectations. They are also in the process of custom building systems for a handful of clients and working towards the ultimate goal of mass production.