[Image above] Windlicht in action, beaming lasers from one wind turbine to the next at the Eneco wind farm in Zeeland in the Netherlands. Credit: Daan Roosegaarde

When it comes to green energy solutions, beauty often takes a back seat to efficiency. And while wind energy is one of the fastest-growing sources of clean electricity in the world, not everyone wants a larger-than-life wind turbine looming over their property

But what if wind energy could moonlight as a beautiful work of art? 

Take a trip to the Eneco wind farm in the western province of Zeeland in the Netherlands and you’ll find an artistic take on the traditional wind turbine network. Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde designed “Windlicht” (or “Windlight”) to show the beauty of clean energy. 

Windlicht uses software that allows a laser on one turbine to follow a blade on the turbine beside it. A tracking system predicts the location of the blade in rotation and sends a signal to hardware affixed to the turbine’s core, and the laser beam adjusts depending on wind strength and rotation speed. 

The windmill blades rotate at about 280 kilometers per hour on average, with green lines of light connecting the blades, resulting in a mesmerizing laser light display across the Dutch countryside.  

“Windlicht creates the missing link between the Dutch and the beauty of our new landscape,” Roosegaarde says in a press release about the work. 

If you happen to be near the Eneco wind farm, locals can catch the lit-up turbine show for free the evenings of March 18 and 19. For the rest of us, we can check out the beaming glow virtually with this video produced by  Studio Roosegaarde. 

Credit: studioroosegaarde; YouTube

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Stephanie Liverani

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