Wind on the Water

NIMBYism has held off many wind turbine projects around the world - and it's understandable: people want to see the beautiful waterfront views they paid so much for regardless of the environmental costs of continued resource consumption.

But there might be a solution. The Vertical Axis Aerogenerator is in the prototype stage and could be ready for production in 3 to 5 years. (Note: this might work great on Lake Michigan because of the high sustained wind speeds.) It's difficult to tell from the picture on this page, but the designers believe this could even be a visual focal point for a community's water resources instead of an eyesore.