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Yes that's great n all but how does it work?

You can read briefly about small scale wind power at Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power

More depth info here:
http://www.otherpower.com/windbasics1.html

We can supposedly make our own, but I'm just not getting excited about generator shopping:
http://elizabethredmond.greenoptions.com/2007/07/04/weekly-diy-wind-turbine/

They suggest getting creative. I am wondering how many of these it would take to make some power:
http://pslc.ws/macrog/kidsmac/images/pinwheel.jpg

Probably reasonable to suppose that nothing more will be required to connect it to the grid will be the same sort of power inverter that one uses with solar panels. I just want to know if there are any ordinances that would prohibit putting this on a Brooklyn Brownstone provided it is not visible from the street.

whoops - meant to say "nothing more will be required to connect it to the grid THAN the same sort of power inverter "

It would be amazing if this was actually inexpensive AND worked well. Seems like it would have gotten way more press if it was as good as they're saying.

Yes, lots of questions, like how much power does it produce? That is the most important question, and of course it's not mentioned at all. 20-60% of all electricity needs is a generic statement. People need to be very careful and skeptical with small scale wind turbines. They are typically much too expensive for a realistic payback, and that money could be used towards other renewable energy devises, better insulation, geothermal, solar panels etc. How well these work also are heavily dependent, obviously, on installation location & local wind speeds.

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I just dream of when this kind of stuff regularly gets more mainstream press. When I suggested to my dad that he look into wind or solar power after he was b*&ching about the power bill the other day, he suggested that it may detract from his home value or that the city would not approve the installation...
WHAT?
Needless to say we got into an argument about what a stupid mindset that was, but my point is that there are just too many close-minded people still out there. I love hearing about this stuff and can't wait until this stuff is mainstream and easily compatible with many systems, which will not be soon enough!

Keep it coming!

I won't make the assumption that I would have gotten more press, because products that are TRULY green and help people take measurable steps toward greener living tend to get less publicity than the ones that encourage baby steps. If this works and is easy to use, there would be very little argument for not using it. It seems like a great alternative energy solution. Maybe one this days "alternative" energy will be the rule and not the exception.

I'm very interested in this idea of small, rotor wind turbines (as opposed to the windmill kind). This is something I can see popping up and being very effective in both urban and rural settings. I've seem some better looking ones than Starck's tho.

I would get one of these in a heartbeat if we could hook it up to our home and save on power costs. Unlike many AT'ers, we don't have space or zoning problems -- benefits of living in the country.

For the folks complaining that this didn't make mainstream press, Starck's wind turbine was featured on NPR this morning. That leaves me wondering what people mean by "mainstream" news. Do you mean channels like MSNBC or FOX? I guess I just think of those stations as police chases and celebrity gossip.

I wasn't trying to be close minded, sorry for the misunderstanding... Being in the green building profession it's my job to design energy efficient green homes. It's important to be critical and question the marketing because there are a lot of companies who are taking advantage of the green fad and consumers who don't do their homework. A lot of turbine claims are based on very unrealistic wind speeds. I'd like to see some performance data and feedback from user experience. For example what is the kWh rating? What is the lowest average windspeed required for it to be feasible? How loud is it? How large is it?

As I previously stated, it would be great if this wind turbine truly only cost $600 and could power 60% of a home's electricity. If this is the case, this product is a huge breakthrough which is why it should be getting way more press. Most turbines cost between $5000-$30,000... I think there's a lot of cool looking turbines out there, but unfortunately most of them, on a small scale, don't create enough power and cost too much to be green and cost effective. Until the technology gets better put your money into other energy saving techniques.

Good link to how this works:
http://www.truenorthpower.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=19

If it works, people in Kansas should be cornering the market for these.