Patent ID: 8742610

Claim:
A method of operating a wind turbine system comprising: determining, by an industrial process controller, if an actual wind speed value, received from an anemometer, of a wind at a location of the wind turbine system is less than a predetermined minimum wind speed value; if so, then calculating a command speed value that will cause a variable-speed drive in communication with a motor/generator of the wind turbine system to drive the motor/generator and a sail assembly attached to the motor/generator at a speed that the sail assembly would turn if the actual wind speed value was the minimum wind speed value, such that the sail assembly turns and provides a visual effect; and if not, then calculating a command speed value based on the actual wind speed value such that the variable-speed drive and the motor/generator will operate in a braking mode to recover a braking energy of a load of the wind on the sail assembly; and sending the command speed value to the variable-speed drive.