Geneseo, NY-based wind turbine maker, WindTamer, has developed a new, small wind turbine that features a ducted rotor design which the company says will significantly outperform traditional open blade turbines.  Company field tests indicate that the turbine (which they say broke the Betz Limit) can operate with twice the efficiency of any open rotor turbine currently on the market – with its 52-inch model producing 3,000 kWh per year with an average wind speed of 16mph; and its 93-inch rotor model producing up to 10,000 kWh per year.

The DAWT, or Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbine design, uses the wind to induce rotation, as conventional wind mills do, and then utilizes a sophisticated bypass system that harnesses one vacuum that forms internally behind the blades and a second vacuum that forms externally to assist rotation, delivering unmatched velocity and efficiency.  The WindTamer boasts  a list of product advantages including: high output, at both low and high wind speeds, near silent operation, rooftop mounting capability, bird safety, low maintenance, and no breaking or furling at high wind speeds.

Eight units have initially been sold.

sources: cnnmoney.com and windtamerturbines.com