All-weather windmills

摘要

A wind turbine that produces three-and-a-half times as much electricity as conventional turbines has been tested by researchers in Croatia. The trick, they say, is to enclose the turbine in a cowling. Bernard Frankovic and Ivan Vrsalovic from the University of Rijeka tested their 1-kilowatt prototype of the new design on the island of Lastovo, off the Croatian coast. The key to the turbine's efficiency is the shape of its cowling, which increases the speed of the air flowing over the blades.