Patent ID: 8308437

Claim:
A wind turbine, comprising: a tower; a nacelle mounted atop said tower; power generating components housed within said nacelle; a rotor hub rotationally coupled to said power generating components; a plurality of blades fixed to said rotor hub, said blades comprising a root section extending radially outward from said rotor hub, and an aerodynamic section extending radially outward from said root section, wherein lift is generated primarily by said blades along said aerodynamic section; aerodynamic fins extending radially outward from said rotor hub, said fins disposed relative to said root sections of said blades and having an aerodynamic shape so as to capture wind and impart rotational torque to said hub from a central impinging wind zone coaxial to said rotor hub and said blade root sections; wherein said rotor hub comprises a base and a nose cone mounted over said base, said blades mounted to said base and said fins mounted to said nose cone; and wherein said nose cone comprises multiple segments mounted to said base, wherein each said segment has a respective said fin mounted thereto.