icewind revamps the wind turbine with a sleek and sculptural aesthetic

wind turbines get a lot of bad press for their aesthetic impact on natural landscapes, and icelandic startup icewind has set out to turn the traditional turbine into a thing of beauty. icewind’s designs use a more horizontal structure, flipping the traditional blades on their side and widening the surface area. the resulting machines are neat and sculptural, with increased functionality that allows them to catch wind from any direction.

the icewind turbine is designed to elegantly blend in with the environment

the icewind turbines are based on ancient persian technology, giving the age-old concept an update for the 21st century. each one is hand made in iceland from stainless steel, carbon fiber and aircraft grade aluminum. the machines are designed to elegantly blend into the environment, not affecting bird life and operating with next to no noise. production range is wide—meaning that the turbines function in extremely low (under 2 m/s) and high, hurricane-strength winds (over 50 m/s). the turbine automatically slows itself down in higher winds to prevent the machines catching on fire.

the stainless steel curves give the machine a sculptural look

the artistic turbines can be built as both large, standalone structures like the CW-1000 or as the icewind RW—a smaller, stackable version  that can be discretely placed atop telecom and surveillance towers. icewind also trialed their smaller RW turbines on top of a bus stop in reykjavic, using the energy generated to power a WIFI router, an advertising board, and a phone recharging station. the company aims to make wind-power accessible as a personal choice, so their turbines are designed for residental application, providing power or heading to individual homes or farms. coupled with a small heat pump, the larger wind turbine can sully supply an average-sized cabin with heating and power.

each turbine is hand made in iceland

the machines are built with aircraft-grade steel and carbon fiber

the turbines are designed to provide power to individual buildings or houses

the smaller RW turbine can sit neatly atop an electricity pylon

icewind trial the turbines to power a bus stop WIFI hub in reykjavic