It consists of an installation of a prefab, fully-functioning eco-home on the museum’s grounds offering a peek into how domestic life can be smarter, more efficient and greener, with existing materials and new technology.
Since Chicago is also known as The Windy City, wind power technology had to be a part of the show. Added to the 2009 edition of the show, there’s a wind turbine in the southeast corner of the home’s landscape and the museum says it was the first downwind turbine installed in the Chicago metropolitan area.
The turbine is a Skystream 3.7 wind generator with a 45-foot-high tower and a 12-foot-diameter rotor. It can generate up to 2.4 kilowatts. It begins producing power in an 8 mph wind, and reaches full output in 29 mph winds. It produces approximately 400 kilowatt-hours per month in a 12 mph wind.
This turbine model is the first small wind generator designed specifically for utility-connected residential and commercial use, the show organizers say. Together with the Smart Home’s solar panels, the wind turbine is expected to help make the home 100% renewable-powered under certain climate conditions.
Smart Home: Green + Wired runs until January 08, 2012.
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