Patent ID: 7811048

Claim:
A turbine-intake tower for delivering wind to a turbine, the turbine-intake tower comprising: a hollow support column; an intake nozzle assembly rotatably coupled to the support column; a tower nozzle disposed within the support column; a controller; and one or more actuators coupled in direct physical contact with an outer surface of the intake nozzle assembly and electrically coupled to the controller, wherein the one or more actuators are configured to receive electrical signals from the controller, wherein the one or more actuators are configured to exert forces on the outer surface of the intake nozzle assembly in response to receiving the electrical signals from the controller, wherein the forces exerted on the outer surface of the intake nozzle assembly by the one or more actuators in response to receiving the electrical signals from the controller change a shape of the intake nozzle assembly; wherein the intake nozzle assembly is configured to receive and to accelerate the wind; and wherein the tower nozzle is configured to receive the wind from the intake nozzle assembly and to further accelerate the wind received from the intake nozzle assembly for delivery to the turbine.