Billed as affordable, beautiful and "completely safe for birds," the Helix Wind turbine is designed for low wind speed residential and commercial use. It catches wind from all directions, spinning a generator connected to a home or building. The 2kw turbines designed for residential purposes stands 9' tall while the 5kw turbine stands 12' tall – much lower than traditional wind turbines. And because the turbine spins much slower than traditional turbines and appears as a solid mass rather than a blurring blade, the company claims it is safe for birds and bats.

Although it claims it can halve your energy bill, it's still not cheap. The Helix Wind website curiously neglects to list prices of the products, but does state that a small wind energy system typically ranges from about $3,000 to $5,000 per kilowatt for a grid-connected installation, or half the cost of a solar electric system.

Lucky ducks in California can qualify for a rebate of about $5,000 for purchasing a 2kw system or about $12,500 for a 5kw system. And Helix Wind is running a sale until November 14, 2007 for 20 percent off the purchase price of a unit.

Depending on the actual cost and time required for payback, this could be a nice option for residential areas or small businesses.

A promotional video discovered by ecogeek shows the turbine in action.

Could this design be a step in the right direction for turbines in general – not just small-scale applications?