We turned the wind turbine 90 degrees.
Wind energy laid flat instead of raised on a tower
Why must a wind turbine be tall, heavy and constantly steered into the wind?
The classic three-blade machine needs height, mass and a yaw system that keeps the rotor facing the wind. The Flat Rotor turns that geometry by 90 degrees: the rotor area lies flat, the machine works independently of wind direction, and the loads that make tall machines expensive never arise in the first place.
The idea
- 01A horizontal rotor plane instead of an upright three-blade rotor.
- 02No yaw system: the machine does not need to be turned into the wind.
- 03The aim is a broad usable wind range rather than a narrow design point.
- 04Far lower tilting and bending loads, because there is no long lever arm above a tower.
- 05Modular construction: several rotors on a shared platform.
How it works
- The rotors sit flat on a load-bearing frame structure.
- The frame follows standard dimensions — in the concept, a 40-foot flat rack platform.
- Five rotors on that platform give roughly 35 m² of rotor area in the concept.
- Each rotor feeds its own generator string, so a failure stays local.
- Transport, installation and series production follow standard container dimensions.
What is different about it
- No yaw system, no nacelle, no tall tower.
- Lower structural loads allow installation on existing surfaces instead of new foundations.
- Dense modular use of unused elevated areas instead of single large machines.
- Standardised container-sized transport, and therefore series production instead of one-offs.
- Hybrid option: a patented wind-solar concept with PV integrated into the rotor surfaces.
What we already have
- First prototypes of around one metre in diameter are in trial operation.
- The wind-solar hybrid concept with PV on the rotor surfaces is patented.
What we still want to prove
- The container platform with five rotors, roughly 35 m² of rotor area and around 25 kW is a design and concept figure, not a measured output.
- Power curve and annual yield across a broad wind range, under controlled measurement.
- Structural behaviour under storm and sustained load.
- Agricultural uses are possible fields of application, not demonstrated agronomic effects.
Where it could matter
- Industrial and commercial roofs
- Ports and logistics areas
- Construction sites and temporary locations
- Farmland and agricultural buildings
- Off-grid supply and crisis situations
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