Patent attributes
A wind energy system comprising a queue of turbines housed in a horizontal air conduit. The inlet end of the conduit opens into a wind collector assembly, which preferably comprises in part downwardly extending earthen slope, such as a hillside or embankment. The wind collector assembly may include a pair of lateral collectors, such as sails, that flank the inlet end of the conduit. An upper collector, similar to a spinnaker, may be included above the shaft and between the flanking sails. The flanking sails preferably are retractable and may be hydraulically controlled. Thus, the wind collector assembly formed by the spinnaker above, the earthen slope below and the lateral sails flanking the inlet, serves to collect wind and channel it into the conduit. Generators coupled to the turbines are electrically connected to a power plant or to an alternate electrical facility on or off the grid.
