Patent ID: 7056082

Claim:
A wind energy apparatus, comprising: a fixed base; a housing mounted for vertical rotation with respect to the base; the housing being vertically cylindrical with a planar top, planar bottom and tubular side wall; the side wall having an air permeable section extending about 270 degrees around the housing; the side wall having an air impermeable section extending about 90 degrees around the housing, such that about 270 degrees of the side wall is air permeable and the remaining about 90 degrees of the side wall is air impermeable; a controller for vertically rotating the housing to a desired orientation with respect to atmospheric wind direction, with the controller being responsive to a wind direction sensor; a rotor mounted for vertical rotation within the housing and formed of a plurality of vertical walls forming four chambers; each of the four rotor chambers is formed by the walls into an intake portion, a reversal portion, a parallel portion, and an exhaust portion; the intake portions being offset from a center of the rotor, with air flow from the intake portion turning in the reversal portion about 90 degrees towards the center of the rotor, with air flow from the reversal portion turning further about 90 degrees in the parallel portion to be in a parallel but reversed direction to the intake portion, and with air flow from the parallel portion turning back about 90 degrees in the exhaust portion to be parallel and in the same direction as the reversal portion; and a shaft connected to the rotor for transmitting rotational energy outside the housing.