While pristine, white wind turbines may have become the icon of the sustainability movement, the green power enthusiasts are all too familiar with their shortcomings—inconsistent power, battles over location, and relative inefficiency outside a fairly narrow set of ideal wind conditions. Occasionally, the things even explode or burst into flames. Not the kind of image you want to project for the next generation of power.

But if Vancouver-based ExRo has anything to say about it, these sorts of images may be relics of the past. The company has developed a variable input electric generator which can create power at optimal rates from a variety of different wind speeds, leading to 50% more electricity generated over the course of the year. The technology could also potentially be applied to hydrokinetic and hydroelectric power projects.

ExRo, which is currently in the early stages of tracking down Series A venture capital, and other companies like it are helping to refute the notion that renewable energy sources simply aren't viable real-world solutions by creating solutions that raise the power output of renewable sources without a proportional increase in price tag.

Photo by flickr user vaxomatic.