Wind turbines have an image problem but silent, bladeless designs could change all that

Nicknamed 'the Skybrator' by the internet, a bladeless wind turbine has been designed to generate energy from its vibrations alone.

Global wind power growth must triple over the next decade to achieve carbon neutrality, says the UN. But traditional wind turbines are struggling to meaningfully contribute to this goal.

They are widely criticised for being ugly, noisy and harming wildlife. However, the majority of these problems come down to the traditional windmill design that is dating back to the ninth century.

Now, two companies have invented wind turbines without blades.

Spanish start-up Vortex Bladeless has designed a wind turbine that generates energy through vibration and Texas-based Aeromine has built silent, bladeless turbines.

You won't see these turbines in fields because they're fixed to the side of a building that gets the strongest wind - though they can create energy from wind as slow as five miles an hour. They're installed in rows of 20-40 units and connected directly to the building's electrics.

Since they're so small, they take up far less room than traditional turbines and have the added advantage of being silent.

If combined with another energy source, such as solar, Aeromine's turbines could power a building entirely from renewables.

Vortex Bladeless Wind Power (@vortexbladeless) által megosztott bejegyzés

While different sizes are under development, Jorge Piñero from Vortex Bladeless tells Euronews Green that bigger is better. "Power grows exponentially with the size of the device. A Vortex Tacoma of 2.75m high could be powering a fridge, many phones and some led lights for an off-grid house."

As no blades are needed, the turbine is relatively low maintenance and quiet.

Plus, the design means no harm to birds -