In the village of Plouisy, in the Côtes-d'Armor region of northwestern France, a unique wind turbine named Quinoa has been installed by a company called Collaborative Energy. This turbine uses a vertical-axis rotor, a design that differs significantly from the more common horizontal-axis turbines seen worldwide. Collaborative Energy, which was founded in 2016 in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, previously tested its technology in the Var department before moving to Brittany. The Quinoa turbine is intended to supply electricity directly to the Titan Préfa company, helping it cut its electricity costs through self-generation. Standing only 12 meters tall, the turbine has a nominal power of 10 kilowatts and features three 6-meter-long composite blades. Collaborative Energy estimates that the turbine could produce between 5 and 52 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, depending on local wind conditions. For now, Quinoa is a prototype meant to gather real-world data on its performance and efficiency. A larger project is also in the works: a pilot park with about ten Quinoa turbines is planned in the town of Paimpol. This project aims to supply energy to agricultural and food-processing businesses in the region. According to Christophe Lévêque, head of Collaborative Energy, the initial setup will combine ten wind turbines with one hectare of solar panels, aiming to meet about 20% of the energy needs of these businesses. Together, these businesses consume electricity equivalent to that of 2,000 households. The project is expected to cost nearly one million euros, with the potential for up to 40 more turbines to be added later to cover half of the region’s energy needs. Vertical-axis wind turbines, though historically among the first designs, have largely been overshadowed by horizontal-axis models due to technical and efficiency challenges. Some models, like the Darrieus rotor, have shown promise, but prototypes such as the Éole project in Cap-Chat, Quebec, have faced significant hurdles. The Éole turbine, which was launched in 1987 with the goal of producing 4 megawatts, was eventually limited to 2.5 megawatts due to the high stress on its mechanical components. It was decommissioned in 1993 after the failure of its main bearing, which was deemed too expensive to repair. These challenges have made large-scale vertical-axis turbines less common in the industry. Despite these issues, smaller vertical-axis turbines have certain advantages, especially in urban or irregular wind environments. They typically occupy less space and can better handle turbulent air flows found near the ground. Collaborative Energy has not yet released production data for the Quinoa prototype, but these figures will be crucial in determining whether such turbines can effectively support industrial energy needs. As the company continues to test and refine its designs, the future of vertical-axis wind turbines may still hold promise for specific applications.