Green Options

Cascade Engineering has just launched its SWIFT Wind Turbine in the United States and Canada. Quieter than a whisper, SWIFT provides businesses and homeowners in windy environments an effective solution to lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.

Noise is one of the major barriers for homeowners considering rooftop turbines. But SWIFT’s rooftop turbine, released today in the US and Canada, claims to be “silent enough to perch on a home, yet robust enough to secure a skyscraper.” The uniquely designed turbine has five blades measuring seven feet in diameter as well as two fins to direct the turbine towards the wind. The blades are surrounded by a ring that cuts the noise level to 35 decibels while reducing vibrations.

Add another contender to the alternative aviation fuel race: Swift Enterprises. The company, which is based in Indiana, has developed a renewable jet fuel made from landfill waste, sorghum, algae, woodchips, and other feedstocks.

Swift’s biofuel currently costs $60 per gallon to produce, but the company believes that the cost will drop to $1.80 once they begin full-scale production.

And while other companies are also working on alternative fuels for planes, Swift believes that it has the most promising solution.