Vertical Wind Turbines

[sindhu]

Are you concerned about the environment and about the quality of life for successive generations?  Concerned also with the rising costs of traditional forms of energy?  Well, a wind turbine might be just the thing for your home or business! 

There are two types of wind turbines; The HAWT, or horizontal axis wind turbine, and the VAWT, the vertical axis wind turbine.The difference lies in how the rotor is attached to the apparatus – either vertically or horizontally.

Horizontal wind turbine are larger and hence, more useful in rural areas with open spaces.  If you are living in an urban or suburban area, you will want to opt for the vertical wind turbine.  In fact, vertical wind turbines were specifically designed to address the unique issues associated with electricity production in urban or suburban settings where horizontal winds become vertical when encountering the face of a building.  The helical shaped blades of the vertical wind turbine can make use of horizontal or vertical wind bursts blowing in from any direction. 

Research has shown vertical wind turbine generate energy at a lower wind threshold than a comparable horizontal turbine.  Their larger, helical designed blades are more visible to birds than the thinner propeller style used in a horizontal system.  The Savonius style of vertical wind turbines offers magnetic levitation instead of traditional ball bearings in the generator to blade interface, resulting in reduced friction. 

The newer models of vertical wind turbines keep getting smaller, sleeker, and more efficient with each new design.  Besides the benefits previously mentioned, recent models currently boast of the following; a lower profile on rooftops, not subject to the same regulations as their horizontal counterparts, less noise, almost no vibration, lower maintenance and repair costs due to fewer moving parts, and self regulation spin speeds in high wind circumstances. 

If your home or business is located in an urban or suburban area, a vertical wind turbine is something you will want to consider as our nation eases itself into the “green era”