Wind Turbines to Become Part of Paris’ Picturesque Skyline

The historic skyline of Paris will soon look a bit different after the addition of a few small wind turbines, which will be installed to take advantage of strong winds that pass through such high points as Montmartre.

From Reuters:

“We are not talking of big models like those we see in the countryside. We are in Paris and we musn’t disfigure the landscape,” Denis Baupin, a deputy mayor in charge of sustainable development, told Le Parisien newspaper.

The turbines in Paris will produce electricity which will be sold to the state-owned utility EDF or directly used in the buildings where they will be installed, Baupin said.

Baupin said the city’s authorities were also studying setting up water turbines under the capital’s bridges of the Seine river.

“The first tests will start in 2011 or 2012,” he said.

With Parisians so eager to preserve the beauty of their city, you can bet that this will end up a great example of how wind power can be implemented in a subtle way. If it works in Paris, it can work in virtually any other city in the world that gets a reasonable amount of wind – and that will be a great way to put a sock in the mouths of NIMBY complainers.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: Flickr user Rahims

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