The Gorlov Helical Turbine (GHT) is an innovative twist on the age-old concept of the turbine.  A turbine is an engine that EXTRACTS power from the flow of a current.  The simplest turbines have only one moving part, usually blades or foils that rotate about an axis.  Watermills and windmills are some early examples of turbines.

  In 1931 Georges Jean Marie Darrieus invented the Darrieus vertical axis turbine.  The Darrieus turbine blades are shaped like the wings of an airplane and operate on a lift-based principal.  Water or wind flows around them causing the turbine to rotate.  The main factors that kept the Darrieus from having any widespread applicability was instability and self-destruction due to pulsation and vibration.

In 1996, Alexander Gorlov discovered a way to modify and drastically improve the Darrieus design. By twisting the blades of the turbine in a helix form, Gorlov eliminated the problem of instability and vibration.Because the GHT is a helical shape, a portion of the blade is always optimally aligned with the flow of the current.  In water this translates to less cavitation, in the air this translates to less noise. In fact, the GHT operates so efficiently it is nearly silent in wind applications, a huge advantage if you want to have a turbine on your roof!