The Aerogenerator doesn’t look like an ordinary turbine — something that could sway anti-wind farm groups.

Think of wind power and the first image to spring to mind is most likely a giant, three-bladed propeller spinning atop a slim tower, probably in a rural area. Chances are that’s actually the only image that springs to mind – and that’s a problem.

To renewable-energy supporters, the wind turbine symbolises the hope of a green, clean future, but to opponents, they might as well be Martian tripods from War of the Worlds, advancing inexorably across our precious countryside.

One of the most striking new projects rethinks the idea of the turbine entirely. It is called an Aerogenerator and it looks nothing like a propeller on a stick; more like a cross between a glider and a giant harp, or perhaps a James Bond villain’s mid-ocean hideout. Designed by Grimshaw Architects in association with Windpower Ltd, the Aerogenerator is arguably the first wind-turbine design to capture the spirit of pioneering optimism that these structures ought to express. It could also be a very practical option, especially since it would be situated offshore, far away from anyone’s backyard.

Full Story…and pictures: http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1530668,00.html#article_continue