This wind turbine was on the news about a year or two ago. An American start up designed a really simple wind turbine which had a few interesting features. The generator wires and magnets are around the rim or the turbine, this reduces the resistive forces that prevent turbine turning in low wind speeds. The end result is that it will continue turning even in very low wind speeds. It is also quiet because the turbine blades are enclosed so the tips produce less turbulence. This video demonstrates the low speed operation. The anemometer actually stops at one point, although, looking closely the anemometer is lower on the roof that the turbine. So low obstructions on the roof could be interfering with the air flow close to the roof.
Also it should be pointed out that low wind speeds contain less energy, so despite the fact the turbine is spinning, it might not be producing much energy. Having said that, I know one Canadian company working on low speed generators for wind turbines claimed a potential 50% increase in output, by capturing the energy from low speed winds:
Read more at the company web site: Windtronics
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