Wind Simplicity is a local Toronto company that designs and manufactures small wind turbines.
One of the issues with wind turbines is that they can be noisy while rotating. The Windancer, however, is modelled after the Dutch and Prairie farm windmills, and has developed a quiet turbine that can generate between 3 and 23 kilowatts of power depending on the model. It spins on a horizontal axis, and because the blades are made from aluminum, they are responsive to lighter wind speeds, generating electricity sooner.
In addition to these features, the Windancer was just awarded being a finalist in the Design for Recycling Competition held by the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. The ISRI may sound unglamourous, but its importance in the grand scheme of our increasing garbage problem cannot be overstated. The ISRI has developed a program, “Design for Recycling,” where they encourage product design engineers to think of what will happen to a product at the end of its life. I can speak about the importance of this kind of effort first hand as I try to figure out what to do with a now defunct clock radio. I do not want it to go into landfill, but I can’t find a place to recycle it. End of life is becoming an increasingly important facet of overall product design.
In the case of the Windancer, it’s made of aluminum and steel, both of which are highly recyclable at end of life. Other wind turbine blades consist primarily of carbon composite material which is, at this point, is very difficult to recycle (you can read about it here).
For more information about the Windancer turbine and micro wind generation, visit Wind Simplicity’s website: http://windsimplicity.ca