Enel has concluded its international Windesign contest with three winning concepts for next-generation wind turbines.
The company said the competition sought designs that improve efficiency and sustainability while reducing visual impact to address the nimby effect.
Enel added that CEO Flavio Cattaneo presented the awards at the MAXXI museum in Rome.
First place went to Powering the Future by Mario Cucinella and Robert Bird Group, featuring a vertical structure with lowerable sails.
Second place was awarded to Windbioma + Windbloom by Hope Engineering, which uses reflective surfaces to collect water for wildlife.
Third place was taken by LA3 + Aria by Tectoo and Buromilan, focused on technology, lighting and reduced land use.
Special prizes recognised Aeris + Bloom for design, Horizon + Sylva for technical and economic feasibility and Ecospire + Ecoline for innovation and sustainability.
Launched in spring 2025, the contest attracted architectural firms, engineers, businesses, start-ups, universities and students worldwide.
Enel said Windesign was its most popular competition to date, supported by its Open Innovability crowdsourcing platform.
The company noted that it operates over 15.8GW of wind capacity globally, including 874MW in Italy.