The energy farm's first wind turbine is a vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) manufactured locally by Post Carbon Institute board director and Energy Panel advisor, Tony Duggleby. It is made from wood and fibreglass. A rough rendering of the turbine is shown here from several views (renderings made using Sketchup, available free from Google).

Drawings by Mark Bomford, using Sketchup

Design inspiration for the turbine comes from a number of sources, including the Savonius and the spinning helixes at petrol filling stations (ironically enough). We also took note of the interesting (patented) design by Bil Becker at Aerotecture International. His device includes elements of both a Darrieus and the twisted Savonius. Design for the mounting frame is still in progress, but will make use of locally salvaged materials from around the UBC Farm. The turbine will first be installed at ground level for troubleshooting and later be raised to take advantage of higher winds.

Left: Rob Millar and VAWT prototype in farm greenhouse

Right: VAWT on testing frame, with solar panel to the left and digester drums behind.