Creative Use of Solar and Wind in the Landscape

A recent post at Interactive Architecture about a street light at the Tokyo Panasonic Center that combines solar and wind was impressive. While not the most beautiful light, it was interesting to see the potential of combining these technologies, though the surveillance technology allowing you to capture photos of your child with an RFID tag while on their way to school is a bit creepy. Here is a video of the light in action on the referenced blog Hyperexperience.

Over the coming years, I hope to see more solar and wind products being integrated in the design of public spaces. So far when I have tried, their high cost has been the major stumbling block and hopefully over time this hurdle can be overcome. Besides offering renewable energy, they can provide a dynamic iconic design element that projects a clear message of sustainability. Wind turbines in particular have become very sculptural and I particularly like the helical form factor. Some that I have run across include the QR5 from Quiet Revolution (See video) and the Wind Wandler by the German company called MatroW. I doubt we will see many of these because of their steep cost. The QR5 runs over $50,000 a piece and the Wind Wandler is around $12,000, but are beautiful none the less. A relatively inexpensive conventional horizontal axis wind turbine is the SkyStream 3.7 by Southwest Windpower. According to their brochure they can cost up to $9,000 for installation. I am not sure about the Skystream but I have been around some smaller turbines and they can be very loud at high speeds, an important factor that needs to be considered when siting them in active spaces where users will be in close proximity.

I do wonder how much designers need to worry about people hurting themselves? Would vandals try to throw objects into them? Maybe someone might get their kite sucked into one? Despite these issues, I hope to see more in the landscape.