The patent-pending Wind Turbine Wall is a kinetic structure fitted with rotary blades that drive an integrated generator. Energy created from the panel can be stored in a battery for domestic use or fed back into the grid to provide owners with additional income. The current prototype is estimated to generate enough energy to power an average American home, roughly 10,715 kilowatt-hours per year (EIA, 2020).

The design’s slim proportions enable it to sit alongside a building’s façade or act as a decorative and privacy-giving dividing wall on a terrace or garden. Doucet also accounts for different tastes by offering a series of interchangeable rotary blades in various shapes, sizes and colours.

With 24% of Brits aged 25-34 saying they would like to be more self-sufficient when it comes to food and energy production (Statista, 2020), the rise in renewable energy systems will in turn increase demand for smart and beautiful designs.

Aesthetically pleasing products not only encourage consumers to invest in solar and wind energy-harvesting technologies, but also allow for integrating them more seamlessly into the home. Dutch design duo Kiki & Joost, for instance, developed photovoltaic panels with pretty patterns and finishes that can be used as façade surfaces and don’t just sit on the roof like conventional solar panels (see The Brief). Similarly, Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel’s colourful photovoltaic windows mimic the look of stained glass (see also Product Design Sustainability Round-Up: October 2021).

For more on smart energy solutions, see Light-Impact Homes and Spring/Summer 2023 Design Direction Amble.