Vertical Turbines

Adobe Systems, a highly successful technology company, recently installed 20 new Windspire vertical axis turbines.  The vertical turbines are installed around the employee basketball court on the roof of the parking garage for their office complex.  The parking garage is surrounded by 3 office taller buildings that channel the air and create a sort of wind tunnel effect.

The Windspire turbines are produced by Mariah Power.  Each turbine weighs approximately 650 lbs and is nearly 30 feet tall.  Each turbine is rated at 1.2kW and are expected to produce 2,500 kWhs annually, which would add up to roughly 50,000 kWh for the entire setup.

Vertical Turbines on Adobe garage

Smaller systems, such as the one on the roof of Adobe’s garage, are not as efficient as larger wind farms.  However, they do provide an excellent solution when you don’t have a lot of space and can’t tolerate much noise.  The vertical turbines are sleek and clean in design, looking no more out of place than parking lights would.

Vertical turbines are a sleek and elegant alternative to traditional horizontal wind turbines. They are designed to be effective and unobtrusive. Unlike their horizontal counterparts, vertical wind turbines can be used in nearly any environment: public places, downtown, on your home, or wherever they may be needed.

The curve of the blades exposes maximum surface area and allows for greater energy output. Due to the design of the blades they work when the wind blows from any direction and require less wind to create power.

This allows vertical turbines to be installed at lower heights than horizontal turbines, which in turn makes them safer and less expensive to install.

Vertical turbines are easy to install and maintain. They require very little technical ability and once they are installed they are virtually maintenance free. Day or night, rain or shine, they will move with the natural wind currents and create free, clean energy. Not only do you help the environment but you also save money by lowering your energy costs and reducing your dependency on energy companies.

In the modern world resources are becoming ever scarcer while consumption increases immensely. The same principle applies to electricity. If you are fed up with high electricity bills and constant and unexplained power cuts, then you should definitely consider vertical wind turbines. These innovative devices offer many advantages that will provide you with a sufficient electricity flow, and that will lower your expenses and save you money. A superb bonus is that all of this is environmentally friendly.

The basic thing you need to know about these wind turbines is that they are machines that produce electricity from wind power – as the wind blows its energy is transformed into and stored as electricity. There are many different types available on the market. Prices and models vary to match all particular customer requirements and categories. These incredible devices have many benefits.

The major advantage of vertical wind turbines is that they are started automatically even at the slightest wind flow coming from any direction. This makes them efficient even in areas with minimal winds and in large crowded cities. This particular feature also allows them to produce more electricity more consistently. Moreover, most of the turbines’ structures are relatively light so they can be safely placed in back yards and roof tops without any additional supporting platforms. Your view or the general appearance of your home or office building will not be negatively affected as the machines are also sufficiently short and pleasant in appearance. Most models are silent and produce minimal vibrations, which allow you to go on with your daily life as usual while you are saving money. Manufacturers guarantee that specific maintenance is virtually not required. If a problem occurs it can also be fixed quickly.

The amount of electricity produced by vertical wind turbines depends on the frequency and velocity of the wind in your area. You can freely use the power generated in your building or even sell excesses to the local electricity company. If you want a device with higher productivity you might consider hybrid models that generate power from both wind and solar energy.

Check out vertical turbines now – go green and save cash.

Vertical wind turbines are just one of the accessible and available types of turbines to generate power using natural and clean energy.

Despite the development of vertical wind turbines as one of the most efficient and economic ways to harness wind energy, the wind energy community still has some questions about the concept. While most industry giants have been competing head on with the $17 billion stimulus package that was provided to expand, improve, and optimize the national power grid, the media and the public has started to notice the potential of micro and small power generations through vertical wind turbines.

The New Kid on the Block

While the wind industry giants AES Corp, MidAmerican Energy, Alliant Energy, Vestas Wind System and, of course, GE, have been competing on a large scale to increase the capacity of the at least 5,000 wind power turbines across U.S., the vertical wind turbine concept has slowly spread throughout the population and been fairly unknown for some time.

At least until these giants begin to see a decrease in the number of power subscribers from the power grid.

Unlike other small-scale generators in most urban areas, vertical wind turbines have:

• Small space requirement
• Lesser contribution in noise pollution
• Better visual appeal

Design Specifications

Vertical wind turbines, otherwise known as vertical-axis wind turbines, are primarily distinguished by a main and major rotor shaft designed to operate vertically. Other salient features of a vertical wind turbine include:

• The gearbox is placed near the ground, thereby, relieving the load off the tower.
• Being designed in a fixed position; the design of the wind power turbine had eliminated the need to ‘right’ the rotor or re-orienting where the wind speed is at a sufficient speed in order to produce power.
• Blades are designed to be more stiffer than those of horizontal turbines. This spec is primarily carried in order prevent the possibility of the turbines being detached from the towers by strong winds.

The Advantages of Vertical Wind Turbines

These vertical wind turbines are primarily and practically advantageous for small-scale applications due to:

• A 50% increased capacity in terms of electricity production than that of horizontal turbines
• Constant and stable power generation even with lower or decreased wind speed
• Ability to generate a stable power supply even when wind speeds could jump as high as 60 m/s or at 130 mph.
• A more efficient electricity delivery system as all vertical wind turbines had eliminated the need of the tower supporting the gearbox. This system practically has no record of oil leaks while operating – even during peak hours.
• Unlike most wind farms that are notorious for the number of wildlife that had been killed while being on mid-air, vertical wind turbines are practically designed to be one of the most responsive and sensitive power generating machines to advance the cause of truly being environment friendly

Drawbacks of Vertical Wind Turbines

• Every revolution produces a pulsating torque
• Difficulty in mounting on towers
• Vertical wind turbines are set to operate with a much turbulent near-the ground air flow
• Low in terms of resource efficiency as the turbines operate using turbulent air flows

Vertical Wind Turbine Sub-types

There are four sub-types of vertical wind turbines, namely, Darrius or the ‘eggbeater’, Gorlov helical turbines, Giromill, and Savonius turbines

Darruis turbine

Primarily distinguishable as it resembles that of an ‘eggbeater’. Invented by George Darrieus, this vertical wind turbine subtype primary features include:

• Necessitating an external power source to jumpstart its rotation, and
• Utilize Savonious rotor as an additional capacity to start up

Gorlov helical turbine

Also known as he GHT, this design is specifically a modification of the ‘eggbeater’ and at least 35% energy and resource efficient than those of other vertical wind turbines.

Unlike it’s the darrius subype, the GHT has:

• Lower vibration and, therefore, noise
• Lower cyclic stress
• Comparatively low torque ripple

Giromill

Also a self-starting turbine, Giromill is made distinguishable because of its straight turbines. Known advantages of using a straight turbine include a relatively low blade to speed ratio and higher starting torque.

Savonius

This subtype is primarily seen as one of the most micro-applications of vertical wind turbines. Often see used on van and bus roofs, Savonius is also utilized as an additional motor to jumpstart other low-efficiency turbines.

The College of Engineering at Wayne State University recently erected a Franklin Vertical Wind Turbine on its roof. “This design is more suited to an urban setting and able to capture multi-directional winds, updrafts and turbulence as found in urban environments,” adjunct professor David Koyle said, relating the design of the vertical turbines to that of the traditional horizontal wind turbines.

Caisheng Wang, an assistant professor in the college, stated that “Wind is the fastest growing and most feasible renewable energy technology.” And wind power is helping WSU to grow as well. The turbine will be used by the research faculty to study wind related concepts such as aerodynamics, air pressure, and force. College of Education students will teach a new course about the benefits of wind turbines, such as this one, and other alternative energy systems. Electrical engineering students will also be assessing the performance and making improvements. See the article here.

The city of Willmar, Minnesota is debating the possibility of allowing small vertical turbines within the city.  The turbines being discussed by are called vertical axis wind turbines, the blades are attached to a central vertical shaft.  The shaft is then attached to a generator located at the bottom of the shaft, sometimes even at ground level.

Until recently the city hadn’t considered wind energy and the current zoning ordinance has no provisions involving the regulation of wind turbines.  That is until a citizen requested to erect a small turbine in order to charge golf cart batteries.

At this point nothing has been finalized, but the commission members have began to agree on the conditions and space allotments that should be used with the vertical turbines.

“The way the nation is, we’re looking for more sustainable development with commercial buildings as well as residential buildings. Obviously we want to find ways to use renewable energy to help power the future growth of our nation,’’ Bjur, a member of the Planning Commission, said in an interview.

Check out the article here.

“Go green” is the motto of nearly every non-governmental organization or politician appearing on TV. Now you cannot only go green yourself but also save money with vertical wind turbines. And, please, don’t imagine these scary gigantic structures you have seen in the fields when traveling. There are models available to the general public that generate electrical power from wind, for personal use at home or at the office. This is the perfect solution that will provide you with light and heat for a cozy, comfortable and easy life all the time everywhere in the world.

No matter what your lifestyle or location is there are turbines that will definitely work out for you. Your business will benefit immensely from these inventions. Even in the heart of the city where the structures are tall and squeezed in, you can safely equip your office building with wind turbines. They can generate enough power to reduce your bills considerably, especially in summer months when air-conditioning is a must. Most models are silent and easy to maintain, so the work process can go smoothly and undisturbed by power network failures.

The benefits of vertical wind turbines for home owners are countless. Traditional sloped roof tops can safely accommodate these wonderful devices, as there are light and relatively short types available on the market. When placed in the backyard they even catch low blowing currents to accumulate power. There are models that can be directly used for battery charging as well, which allow you to save even more. The designs are made so that they suit every house’s style. The turbines are highly effective and you can rely on sufficient energy flows even when the wind is mild or coming from all different directions.

It might sound surprising, but the modern traveler can also take advantage of the vertical wind turbines. Portable small models are a hit on the market today. You can take them with you when you go to your house in the country and when you are on vacation with your caravan. The turbines can be easily and safely packed and do not take a lot of space, and most importantly, are straightforward to assemble at the desired location. Portable turbines are especially recommended to ardent sailors for onboard boat usage as the winds at sea are strong and constant.

Buy a vertical wind turbine today, save more tomorrow.

The appearance of vertical turbines is more appealing and stylish than that of solar panels. Vertical turbines have an appearance similar to certain styles of modern art. At the present time many people live in neighborhoods and developments that have home owner associations. Those associations have placed restrictions on many clean energy generators due to the appearance of the houses and landscaping that is affected. Vertical turbines provide the benefits of clean energy without being an eye-sore.
 
Vertical turbines can run at any time, day or night. Solar power generation is restricted to the daytime. In order for solar panels to produce energy they must have sunlight, and the sun is only at its highest intensity for a few hours each day.  Thus, solar panels are only performing at maximum productivity for a few hours each day. On the other hand, wind generators work whenever there is a breeze.
 
Vertical turbines require less space. Vertical turbines require far less space than a solar panel.  Depending on the size of the turbine, it could operate completely with a footprint of only a couple square feet.  As far as solar panels are concerned, bigger is better in most cases.  The greater the amount of surface available the greater the amount energy you will be able to collect.
 
Vertical turbines can be placed anywhere, not only in the path of sunlight. Unlike solar panels vertical turbines can be placed nearly anywhere.  They do not require specific, sunny locations and can be placed anywhere there is an air flow.