What started out as a concept is now being turned into reality, with several being planned for the French capital. French company ‘New Wind’ is installing the first at Place de la Concorde in Paris and is hoping to expand throughout the country and abroad.
Tree Shaped Turbines
The 26ft trees are fitted with aeroleaves. Tiny blades inside the ‘leaves’ can generate electricity in wind speeds as low as 4.5mph (7km/h), and regardless of the wind’s direction.
A light breeze is classified as having a wind speed of between 4mph and 7mph on the Beaufort Scale.
The power output of the tree is 3.1 kilowatts with the potential to generate 3,500 kWh to 13,500 kWh a year depending on the wind speed and the location of the tree.
This could provide enough power to supply 15 street lamps, 83 per cent of the electrical consumption of a typical family household or one electrical car for 10,168 miles (1,360km) over the course of a year.
An average onshore wind turbine with a capacity can produce more than 6 million kWh in a year – enough to supply 1,500 average EU households with electricity.