Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) can be both small and large. However, they are not the mainstay of the wind industry and for that reason they are assigned a category under Small Wind Turbines on this site.

There is also an extensive collection of archival and recent photographs of VAWTs and various forms of Darrieus turbines on the Photos section of this site. There you can find photos of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines.

Worst Turbine Install in History?

By

Paul Gipe

Mike Nelson call this the worst turbine install in history. It certainly ranks right up there with some recent installations by Mariah, a Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine manufacturer.

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NREL Wind Turbine Generator System Power Performance Test Report for the Mariah Windspire 1-kW Wind Turbine

By

A. Huskey, A. Bowen, and D. Jager

Again, data collection was not completed with the last wind speed bin (14 m/s) not filled. In both configurations, the inverter experienced failures and the tests were not finished.

Quick Grab a Stake–Mag-Wind Rises from the Grave

By

Paul Gipe

Mag-Wind is back. Grab your children. Bar the door. The dead walk. . . Worse Ed Begley and Jay Leno, those omnipresent endorsers of all things “green”, have leapt to the aid of the undead. Their names and pictures are plastered across the web site of Enviro-Energies, the now parent of Mag-Wind.

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Muncie VAWT–An Expensive Demonstration

By

Paul Gipe

The Muncie (Indiana) Star recently reported that the Delaware County Redevelopment Commission awarded almost $1 million to a relatively little known German company.

How Not to Site Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (Mariah Windspire) #1

By

Paul Gipe

Stewart Russell captured these photos of a Mariah Windspire installed at the College School in St. Louis. Stewart is an experienced wind hand and noted that the Windspire, which is an unguyed, cantilevered VAWT, was swaying in the wind. A flyer was posted on the turbine saying that this swaying was normal.

How Not to Site Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (Mariah Windspire) #2

By

Paul Gipe

This is a classic example of how not to install wind turbines to best advantage. The best that can be said about this installation is that at least they were not mounted on top of the building.