The Bahrain World Trade Center is a twin tower complex reaching a height of 240 m in the city of Manama. The complex was completed in the year 2008 and it is a classic example of emerging green technologies in the future. The complex was built by the globally well known architectural firm, Atkins. The skyscraper specially came in the news as it has integrated large wind turbines in its design. This project has received several awards as it has contributed towards environmental sustainability. The twin tower complex received the 2006 Leaf Award for its innovative design and technology.
The two towers are actually connected by 3 skybridges and each of them holds a 225 KW wind turbine. Hence the combined power generated by these wind turbines is 675 KW. Each of the turbines measure 95 m in diameter and they are aligned in the north direction to make the most of the winds blowing in from the north. North is the direction from which strong gusts of winds blow from the Persian Gulf. Both the buildings on either side are sail shaped and they are designed in such as way that they provide a funnel to the winds.
The twin towers have an S shape so that the winds coming in at the 45 degrees angle create a wind stream on either side of the axis. The stream remains perpendicular to the turbines. Hence the turbines rotate at top speeds, thereby harnessing the power of the winds to produce electricity which can then be used to power appliances.
The wind turbines can generate a significant 15% of the total power needed for the twin towers. This is an excellent example of how green power can be used in the future and as technology improves we will have more of these green buildings. In the near future entire buildings will be powered by green electricity and the world will become a better place to live in without the hassles of pollution and global warming created by the greenhouse gases. The total power produced by the wind turbines of the twin towers annually is 1.3 GWH which is sufficient to power 300 homes per year. The turbines operate for about 50% of the time everyday. The turbines were first switched on 8th April, 2008 and they are running ever since.