When peak oil means you're paying more to power up your computers than you are for rent, it's time for Energy Ball. Developed recently by Swedish company Home Energy, these cool-looking devices are designed to work in low winds and make very little noise. That makes them perfect for home use, as well as in giant wind turbine farms. But how do they work with that weird spherical shape? The Energy Ball's shape takes advantage of the Venturi Effect, which usually measures the pressure created when water moves through a contained space. According to Inhabitat:
This spherical Energy Ball takes those principles and uses them to channel air through its six blades and around its generator. This results in highly efficient turbine that can take advantage of very low wind speeds.
I still think the main advantage of this device, aside from how awesome it looks, is that it doesn't make much noise. So you could easily imagine a suburb powered by these things mounted on roofs, spinning quietly in the breeze. Home Energy [via Inhabitat]