Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) can be either small or large. Regardless, they are not the mainstay of the wind industry. Very few exist and even fewer than those work. For many years, I kept these pages as subcategory of small wind turbines. However, this arrangement no longer worked well with the current web site design so I’ve put them under the main category of wind turbines even though most serious work on the technology ceased years if not decades ago.
Chapter 6. Vertical-Axis and Darrieus Wind Turbines, of my book Wind Energy for the Rest of Us: A Comprehensive Guide to Wind Power and How to Use It, has an extensive discussion of the technology–all in one place.
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.
Some Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) Resources on the Web
By
Paul Gipe
In preparing for a review of a Sandia report on its decades-long research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), especially …
Scientific American: The Quest for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Despite Failures
By
Robynne Boyd
The quest to slay the faulty dragon of conventional, or horizontal axis, wind turbines (HAWTS) has been an impossible one, thus far. The domination of conventional wind comes from their reliability, efficiency and increasingly low cost, despite vertical’s touted improvements – less expensive to build and maintain, safer for birds and bats, quieter, and their ability to use less open space. . .
Fox: Some Nevada Mariah Windspire users say returns lacking
By
Mariah Power, the company that produced the Sousas’ wind turbines, generated headlines several years ago as an example of a successful northern Nevada company making headway in the renewable energy industry. In January, it sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. . .
Small Scale VAWT Wind Turbines Optimized for Low Wind Speeds
By
T. Letcher
A combination of common vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) rotors was designed and tested for optimal performance in low wind speeds.
Mariah: Another Performance Report on Windspire VAWT
By
Paul Gipe
The French test site, SEPEN (Site Expérimental pour le Petit Eolien de Narbonne), published a performance report 28 September 2009 …
Mariah In the Running for Worst Small Turbine Install
By
Paul Gipe
You have to give them credit, small turbine manufacturers are a competitive lot, especially small VAWT suppliers. They are tripping over themselves to see who can win the award for worst turbine install.
