Patent ID: 8487468

Claim:
A turbine for use in an electrical generation system, comprising: a vertical-axis turbine that rotates about a vertical axis in response to fluid flowing toward the turbine in a flow direction that is generally perpendicular to the vertical axis; the vertical-axis turbine including: a central upper dome surface at least partially defined by a bell-shaped curve in a vertical cross-sectional plane, and a plurality of upwardly protruding fins that each extend from an outer region proximate to an outer periphery of the vertical axis turbine toward the central upper dome surface, wherein each of the fins terminates at a vertical height below an uppermost region of the central upper dome surface, wherein the vertical-axis turbine is a single-piece structure comprising a molded polymer material such that all of the upwardly protruding fins and the upper dome surface are molded as unitary structure, and wherein the plurality of upwardly protruding fins are arranged such that the vertical-axis turbine rotates in a first direction about the vertical axis both in response to fluid flowing over the turbine in a first flow direction that is generally perpendicular to the vertical axis and in response to fluid flowing over the turbine in a second opposite flow direction that is generally perpendicular to the vertical axis.