A flatpack wind-turbine? It could soon be a reality

A prototype of a new self-assembly wind turbine which could be suited to both urban and rural users has been unveiled at a university in the UK.

Keele University has erected the prototype wind turbine, which has been on the drawing board for the past 30 years.

The turbine can kick into action at wind speeds of as little as 4mph, meaning it could be one of the answers to the taxing questions of finding renewable energy for ordinary consumers in a world of plummeting fossil fuel availability.

Designers McCamley are confident that the turbine’s lightweight structure will make it a viable option for assembly on rooftops.

Despite the 30-year lead time to this point there is still a bit of work to do before it could become a commercial reality – the team is currently aiming to build a 12-kW model by the end of 2012 but with plans to scale things up to a possible 1mW turbine in the future city turbines could soon become as common as the satellite dish.

Here's what it looks like at Keele University:

Dr Scott Elliott, the CEO of McCamley UK Ltd, said: “We’re pleased to be bringing our prototype to the UK for the first time. Wind energy has huge potential in the UK, but the traditional wind farm models are just not effective and are certainly not suitable for urban environments.

“This leaves a huge gap in the market where businesses, residential blocks and other organisations could be benefiting from clean energy. We believe that this design has the potential to be the new face of wind energy and is completely scalable, from 12kW designs to larger megawatt designs.”