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.
Photos of Damaged Giromill at Grevenbroich Test Site
By
Paul Gipe
On 21 November Thilo Wirth visited the Grevenbroich test site west of Cologne and took several photos of the damaged Agile Wind Power’s Vertical Sky 32.
Giant Giromill Loses Blade at Grevenbroich Test Site
By
Paul Gipe
Swiss VAWT Vertical Sky 32 lost one of its three rotor arms and blade Sunday 15 November at the Grevenbroich test site according to German media. The prototype turbine was installed at the test site west of Cologne, Germany in September.
Bronx wind turbine’s blades fly off, smashing car and billboard
By
Paul Gipe
The turbine started spinning on Dec. 17, providing power to nearby buildings, according to the Bronx Times.
VAWT Topples To Ground In The Bronx, Destroys Billboard And Car
By
A wind turbine collapsed in the Bronx on Monday, setting off a frightening series of events.
Cologne VAWT Update–Still Not Working and Still Not Removed
By
Paul Gipe
Thilo Wirth was working in the LVR building the Cologne district of Köln-Deutz and sent me his cell-phone picture of the Clean VerTec wind turbine on the roof.
The Potential for Ducted Wind Turbines in an Urban Environment
By
Dhruv Suri
An MIT student’s defense of urban ducted wind turbines.
