Six teens win top honors, patent filing, for their energy efficient dual-bladed wind turbine technology invention.
WASHINGTON, DC – June 17, 2014 – When the Chartiers Valley School District received a grant to explore alternative energy sources, the district’s middle school erected a windmill to help power a sign in front of the building. Noting that this windmill takes more wind power than they thought to spin the blades and generate power, a team of Chartiers Valley High School seniors figured that if they could reduce the amount of wind needed to power the blades, they could make a new and more energy-efficient wind turbine for home use. Their invention, the TwinBine, does exactly that by using two blades instead of one to double the surface area of the device and more efficiently harness wind for energy.
Judges of the 2014 Smithsonian-Cricket Media Global Kids Invention Challenge were greatly impressed by this real-world clean energy solution, awarding Top Winner status to the Sigma Six development team of Calvin Boyle, Tyler Frank, Kyle Hicken, Ross Manganaro, Paul Novelli, and Brandon Robinson. The team invention was additionally recognized by the Challenge’s sponsoring law firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP, which filed a patent for the invention in the names of the six student developers.