Towards Water Neutrality

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New wind turbine design could provide greater efficiency and much smaller footprint

A new wind turbine design out of Wilbraham, MA promises to provide more durability, better efficiency and (importantly for planning purposes) much reduced spacing requirements.

Have a look at the video below. In addition to being an impressive piece of engineering, I think the video itself is an excellent example of selling a design concept using 3D computer models.

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Wind turbines with low visual impact

"RidgeBlade addresses the issues associated with traditional micro-wind generation technologies. The unique design means it can reliably produce electricity in low or variable wind conditions whilst creating very little visual impact. This means that it is suitable for locations including urban houses, rural buildings and environmentally-sensitive sites such as National Parks."

The Shades Don't Need to be Down!

In open floor-plan office buildings once an interior shade is lowered it often remains down because no one has ownership of the shade.  Lowered shades limit views to the outdoors and available daylight and consequently increasing electric lighting loads.  Alternatively, though while expensive, mechanized interior shades can optimize daylight and views and alleviate the problem.  We can offset the The added cost of the mechanical shade can often be offset by not installing shades on the north facade where there are few hours they are needed and with long-term energy savings.read more

Attachments: 

North_Facing_Windows_Interior_Shading_Assessment.ppt