Piezoelectrical Harvest

The New York Times has a brief article on a new way to draw electricity from the wind: oscillating wind panels. The initial premise is that wind turbines are noisy and dangerous to wildlife, however in each case there is conflicting evidence. Regardless, these are pretty cool:

Imagine wind blowing through trees, rustling the leaves. This idea is that by using piezoelectric materials you can turn the movement into a vibration, which in turn is converted to electricity. They are much smaller than a turbine, and can be placed on individual building roofs, so a whole community can benefit from wind power regardless of size or electrical grid constraints. One of the best innovations in energy production for 2010.