Patent ID: 8564147

Claim:
A solar and wind energy collection system, comprising: a solar energy collecting structure disposed on a supporting surface, wherein the solar energy collecting structure comprises a frame and one or more photovoltaic cells that collect energy from light to generate electricity supported by said frame, wherein said frame defines the lateral surfaces of a frustum having a base and an apex, said base disposed on said supporting surface and said apex having an opening; a wind turbine extending from the supporting surface, the wind turbine comprising: a tower having a first and a second end, said first end affixed to supporting surface and extending therefrom within the lateral surfaces defined by said frame, said tower elevating past said frame through said opening on the apex of the frame; a nacelle mounted on said tower's second end; a rotor coupled to nacelle, the rotor comprising a rotatable hub and at least one blade coupled to, and extending radially outward from, hub, said blade comprising: opposite high-pressure and low-pressure faces spaced apart such as to define an internal volume; opposite leading and trailing edges that connect the high-pressure and low-pressure faces; an air conduit, wherein the air conduit provides a fluid connection between said opposite high-pressure and low-pressure faces, said air conduit comprising an inlet on the high-pressure face of the blade, an outlet on the low pressure face of the blade, and a tubular length extending between the inlet and the outlet and providing a fluid communication between said inlet and said outlet, wherein said inlet is distal to said outlet relative said hub, and wherein said inlet is a greater distance from said leading edge than said outlet; such that blades coupled to hub force rotor to rotate under certain wind conditions enabling kinetic energy to be transferred from the wind into usable mechanical energy or electrical energy; wherein nacelle may rotate 360 degrees around the yaw axis of nacelle without blade colliding with said solar energy collecting structure.