A wind turbine generator includes: a rotor including a vertical shaft and blades radially extending from the shaft, the rotor is characterized by a breakaway torque that is greater than the torque required to maintain rotation; a generator operationally coupled to the rotor shaft; a rotatable airfoil shaped housing enclosing at least a portion of the rotor blades and exposing at least a portion of the rotor blades; a motor mechanism operatively coupled to the rotor shaft; sensors adapted to determine wind speed; a processor operatively coupled to the sensors and the motor mechanism, wherein, in reaction to input received from the sensors, the processor provides a control signal to the motor mechanism to assist the rotation of the rotor shaft when the wind speed is below the speed needed to induce breakaway torque and above the threshold required to rotate the rotor once the initial resistance is overcome.