The humpback whale flipper, nature's aerodynamic masterpiece, is proving an ideal model for designing better turbine and fan blades.

WhalePower Corp. of Toronto has spent the past year gathering data on how its new bumpy-edged blade design, which mimics the way tubercle-lined humpback flippers move through water, can improve wind turbines and fans.

The results have been impressive, enough to convince Seaforth, Ont.-based Envira-North Systems Ltd. – Canada's largest supplier of industrial ceiling fans – to licence the unique design for a new line of fans. The company plans to launch the fans at the end of April.

"What the tubercles do is make the fan quieter, more efficient, and they're better at pushing down the air," says Monica Bowden, chief executive officer of Envira-North, which claims about 75 per cent of the Canadian market for industrial ventilation fans. In North America it's a $100 million market.

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