Urban Turbines?

I like that headline!

A company called Aerovironment has designed microturbines that can be used in an urban environment, instead of securing huge swaths of land for gigantic wind farms that are home to towers of noisy wind turbines (that environmentalists complain are dangerous for birds).

These units are designed to sit atop multi-story buildings and are installed at an angle that lets them catch the wind that bounces off the vertical building walls. The company claims that their units are 30% more effective at generating power than similar models. These weigh 200 pounds each, are a compact 4 feet by 4 feet, and feature bird screens that shield birds from the whirring blades.

Looking at the pages of the website, I'm not sure I want to see these things dotting the skyline, but then again, I think I'd prefer them over the miles of electrical wire and thousands utility poles that pollute the view just as badly, if not worse. Plus, they're greener.