A More Direct and Cost Effective Use of Wind Power for Buildings in Cold Climates

In cold climates heating a home or building can consume a large amount of energy. The heating load on a building grows even larger when the cold is accompanied by wind. This paper proposes an environmentally friendly concept that offsets this load by directly and instantaneously using wind power. Current wind turbines that produce electricity have a high cost per energy unit. A large part of this cost comes from the generator, inverter, wiring, and their inefficiencies. This concept bypasses these components and creates low cost heat directly off of the turbine shaft. The heat is produced by rotating strong magnets inside a copper housing. Fields of the magnets induce a current in the copper housing which acts like a short circuit causing the energy to become heat. The heat that the housing produces can be transported by water lines or air ventilation to the building. With a promising low payback period this concept is very appealing to consumers interested in alternative energy systems. It can be added to any building design or any existing structure. The system is also maintenance free and in relation to other alternative energy systems its initial investment is very low. The turbine of choice for this concept is a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. It performs well in industrial or residential areas even though these areas create turbulence in the wind. An experimental setup has been constructed for this concept and tested to find its performance characteristics.