The Eiffel Tower Now Has Two Beautiful Wind Turbines
The historic tower is now outfitted with 17-foot
turbines that blend with the building, showing that renewable energy is
possible anywhere.
After 126
years as a staple of Parisian postcards and tourist snapshots, the Eiffel Tower
now looks slightly different: High above the ground, two new wind turbines are
pumping energy down to the souvenir shops and restaurants on the tower's first
floor. It's part of the management's push to become a little more sustainable.
"They were working on a
massive renovation of the first level and wanted to include renewable
energy," says Jan Gromadzki,
an engineer for Urban Green
Energy, the company that designed and installed the wind turbines for the
tower. "Once they realized there were products available for wind that
would fit and work well with the existing structure, they went ahead and did
it."
Wind
energy, rather than solar power, was uniquely suited for the building.
"Being up on the tower, it was very evident wind was the right
choice," he says. "We're so far up above the rest of Paris that we
actually get very strong winds, very powerful winds that can be used and
harnessed to produce energy. Solar would have required quite a bit of space,
which they really don't have on the tower. It would also look like glass, and
they didn't want to cover any of the structure."
The 17-foot
turbines, painted to match the rest of the iron-clad building, are visible from
across the Seine. Though the designers worried that people might dislike the
changes, the opposite has been true. "I was wondering what the French
people would think of it in general, because they're very protective of this
structure, it represents their heritage," says Gromadzki. "But the
French press has been very positive."
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