Vertical-axis wind turbines, also known as VAWTs, generate wind electricity using wind power. Their vertically-aligned primary rotor shaft is their defining feature. If you’re thinking of installing one for your home or business, or if your community is considering creating a wind farm, you will want to consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of selecting a VAWT. Below, you’ll find the basic pros and cons.

Advantages Of Vertical Wind Turbines

Compared to the almost ubiquitous horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) you’ve probably seen around (windmills being a good example), one of the big advantages of selecting VAWTs is that they can be placed much closer together than HAWTs. While HAWTs must be placed at least ten times their diameter apart due to their wind-slowing effect, VAWTs can be placed just four times their diameter apart. For example, if you have 2 wind farms, one comprised of VAWTs that are each 3 feet in diameter and the other made up exclusively of HAWTs that are also each 3 feet in diameter, the wind farm with VAWTs will only need 12 feet of space between each turbine, while the wind farm of HAWTs will need 30 feet between each. By using a VAWT, you can pack more than twice as many turbines into the same sized space. Depending on the amount of electricity generated by each turbine, this could mean more energy for you!

Another advantage of using VAWTs is that, unlike HAWTs, they do not need to face into the wind to be useful. No matter which direction the wind is coming from, it will rotate a VAWT’s blades. Their support structures generally experience slower wear and tear. Because of this they do not need maintenance as often of HAWTs. VAWTs are also pleasantly quiet. They can also be placed closer to the ground than HAWTs, which is ideal for areas where it would be intrusive to have a tall HAWT looming overhead. Other bonuses are that VAWTs are fairly quiet and they are pleasantly hypnotic to watch.

Disadvantages of Vertical Wind Turbines

While overall, VAWTs are useful for many reasons, they still have their disadvantages. For example, since VAWTs are ideal for lower areas than HAWTs it also limits the level of energy they can collect. (Wind higher up is much faster than wind near the ground.) Another disadvantage is that even when they are in areas that may have a great deal of wind close to the ground, there is a chance of stalling when the wind is to strong or chaotic. There are also models that have a tendency to break apart after too much use, rendering them completely useless. This last point is offset slightly by the fact that the VAWTs that are being manufactured today are better than ever.

Key Points to Think About

The key to choosing the right wind turbine, whether it be a VAWT or a HAWT it to analyze what speed and height the wind in your area travels, how much space you have to install your wind turbines, how much power you hope to generate, and how much maintenance you might need depending on your region’s wind conditions, and how much of this ongoing maintenance you are willing to do or pay for. In many cases for city dwellers, you’ll find that a VAWT (or group of them) is the ideal solution.

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If you are interested in learning what wind turbines are, you’ve come to the right place. In a few words, wind turbines are elegant devices with blades or sails that are used to harness clean energy from the wind. They do not burn fuel or create pollutants, but it is possible that we will someday be able to harness enough power from wind energy that we no longer have to use toxic energy sources to maintain our standards of living.

When people talk about wind turbines — sometimes called wind chargers or wind generators — they are usually referring to the wind turbines commonly used en masse for supplying electric power to a region. Sometimes the term is used to talk about windmills, which are technically a kind of wind turbine though their purposes vary. While a windmill could potentially mill grain or pump water, one that is dubbed a “wind turbine” usually generates electricity for a small area.

A collection of electricity-producing wind turbines is called a wind farm. Wind farms can be placed in any open space where there is enough wind, including open hilltops and in the sand or water along ocean shorelines. There are wind farms on each of the 6 inhabited continents. Not only do they provide sustainable clean power for the towns and cities they are nearby, but they also add an interesting aesthetic to the landscape.

What are the types of wind turbines?

The two main types of wind turbines are horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) and vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT). Their names come from the orientation of their rotor shafts. Appropriately, a HAWT’s rotor shaft is arranged horizontally, while a VAWT’s is arranged vertically. HAWTs must face into the wind to be effective, so they require a mechanism such as wind vane or an electric sensor to keep them properly aligned. VAWTs catch the wind regardless of the direction it is blowing.

While HAWTs have been used in many cultures through the centuries, their design has by and large stayed the same. VAWTs are particularly interesting in their recent technological advancements and in their design sub-types. Because VAWTs do not need to be as tall as HAWTs to catch wind, they are easier to maintain than HAWTs. They may also be able to be spaced closer together than their HAWT counterparts if they are placed in complimentary patterns. One drawback of using VAWT instead of HAWT, is that each unit doesn’t produce quite as much energy as a HAWT would.

What’s next for wind turbines?

In recent decades, technological advancements have made using wind power easier and cheaper than ever. Large-scale projects that could generate enough power for the entire human race may not be such a far off notion. Communities have the power to create their own clean energy in what may become a second age of wind turbines. The possibilities even trickle down to individuals. It is actually possible to create our own wind turbines for home use or small scale recreation use. In fact, the next time you are out on a boat, you could use a small wind turbine to power your mini-fridge.

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