| Vertical Wind Turbine | | Print | |
| Written by Gavin Ryder | ||||||
| Thursday, 18 September 2008 | ||||||
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Vertical Wind Turbines suitable for home owners are usually rated by the manufacturers at around 2 KW, but they can go up to 5 KW.
Vertical Wind Turbines suitable for home owners are usually rated by the manufacturers at around 2 KW, but they can go up to 5 KW. One of the features of a vertical axis turbine is that it does not need to orientate itself into the wind like a horizontal turbine. This feature of the horizontal turbine is know as yaw. Vertical turbines are therefore potentially simpler in design with less moving parts, less to go wrong and less to wear out. The lift devices are also know as Darrius turbines after their inventor George Darrius. The rotors are an aerofoil type of blade which operates more efficiently that the drag style of blade. This means that the turbine can have a smaller rotor for a given rated output. The disadvantage of higher rotor speed is that they can be noisier. The drag turbine as we have discussed is not as efficient as the lift turbine, but it does have a number of advantages. It is self starting. This means that the design can be simpler. It also runs more slowly. This means it is less noisy. Overall drag turbines have been available for longer than the lift turbine and have a good track record of operation in the real world. Wind power has been the poor relation of alternative power generation for the domestic market, which has tended to focus on solar power. The irony is that wind power can be more cost effective than solar providing the conditions are right. In order to consider wind power you will need an average speed of at least 5 meters per second or 11 miles per hour. The other important factor is turbulence. As the wind strikes building and trees turbulence is created. For efficient operation turbines need a nice clean wind. Article Author: Gavin Ryder is an alternative power enthusiast. He has written on solar and wind power production for the urban environment. He has written a blog on vertical wind turbines which covers the subject of wind turbines for home use.
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 August 2010 ) | ||||||
