I live in urban Chicago, wind here is very turbulent which makes it difficult to utilize wind power as a clean energy source. However, I believe Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) are a solution to clean wind power in cities.

I want to roll out a VAWT product line marketed towards residential use. I want to focus on small to medium sized wind turbines in the range of 300-1000 watts. I have a preliminary design for the wind turbine. The only missing link, a BIG missing link, is the electric generator. Does anyone know of a supplier for low RPM generators designed for use in wind power?

If anyone has any ideas on residential wind power, or have interests in starting a wind power company, contact me. I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and am currently pursuing my Masters. I know that residential vertical axis wind turbines are currently available, but I think there is a great opportunity to lower the cost and make the product available to more consumers. In addition, I believe the midwest (particularly urban areas) is the perfect geographic to market clean wind power, which as of now has virtually no residential wind turbines.

Contact me at ruhlandc@gmail.com or reply to this post