| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK |  | REUK Shop | Directory | About Us  

VAWT Vertical Axis Wind Turbine



VAWT Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Understand the advantages and disadvantages of VAWTs

wind
  Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

Plan of a Savonius type Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT)

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines are not as efficient as the more common Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines, but they do offer benefits in low wind situations. They also tend to be safer, easier to build, can be mounted close to the ground, and handles turbulence much better. The commonest VAWT is a Savonius VAWT which is an extended version of an anemometer (wind speed measuring tool). VAWTs can offer up to 30% efficiency and they work equally well no matter which direction the wind is coming from.

50 Watt vertical axis wind turbine generator - VAWT

NEW Buy the 50 Watt vertical axis wind turbine pictured above for just £179.99 with free UK delivery. Click here to find out more: 50 Watt wind turbine.

Types of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

There are two main types of VAWT - the Darrieus which uses lift forces generated by aerofoils, and the Savonius which uses drag forces (pictured above and mentioned earlier). Click on the links in this paragraph to find out more about each type of wind turbine. A variant of the Darrieus type wind turbine is the Giromill.

Buying a Commercial VAWT

VAWT Wind Turbines are not the easiest thing to find on the internet, however here is a link to a page describing one place where you can Buy a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) - a giromill, or click here to find out about one UK-based commercial VAWT QR5 Vertical Axis Wind Turbine from Quiet Revolution.

VAWT Resources

Below are a collection of links to useful online resources for anyone who would like to better understand Vertical Axis Wind Turbines:
Wind Stuff Now - Lenz Turbine
Micro wind power with a Savonius rotor
The Savonius Super Rotor



Article Last Modified: 09:36, 26th Oct 2010

Comment on this Article

If you have any comments on this article, please email them to neil@reuk.co.uk.


Recommended Related Articles

People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:

Free VAWT Wind Turbine Plans
Make your own 250 Watt vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT)
Article Last Modified: 14:47, 17th Feb 2009
wind | education

Savonius Wind Turbines
What is a savonius wind turbine - savonius (VAWT)
Article Last Modified: 11:31, 23rd Jul 2008
wind | education

Vertical Wind Turbine Generator Blades
Buy a set of wind turbine generator blades for a VAWT
Article Last Modified: 09:32, 26th Oct 2010
wind

Solar Panels on eBay
Find out about the solar panels on sale on eBay
Article Last Modified: 16:17, 11th Apr 2009
solar | shopping

Darrieus Wind Turbines
What is a Darrieus wind turbine - Darrieus (VAWT)
Article Last Modified: 16:27, 30th Jan 2007
wind | education

Permanent Magnet Generator
Build a wind or water power system with around a PM Generator
Article Last Modified: 15:43, 6th Apr 2010
wind | hydro

Giromill Darrieus Wind Turbines
What is a Giromill wind turbine - Darrieus (VAWT)
Article Last Modified: 16:27, 30th Jan 2007
wind | education

Calculation of Wind Power
Calculate the power of the wind hitting your wind turbine generator
Article Last Modified: 14:06, 18th Apr 2008
wind | education

PVC Wind Turbine Blades
Learn how to make your own PVC wind turbine blades
Article Last Modified: 14:16, 19th Aug 2008
wind

Betz Limit
Understand the Betz Limit and how it affects wind turbines
Article Last Modified: 15:40, 26th Jan 2007
wind | education

© 2006-2012 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 4th February 2012 at 12:42:53pm

Latest
Articles


Make a PICAXE Repeating Timer
Make your own repeating timer with our automatic PICAXE Basic code generator
education
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

Karasouli SCC 20 Wind Turbine Charge Controller
Find out more about the SCC-20 wind turbine charge controller and dump load controller
wind
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

UK Feed in Tariff to be Cut by 50 Percent
UK government announces 50% cut in feed in tariff payable on new solar PV installations
solar
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

PIR Sensor Circuits
Find out more about using PIR sensors within renewable energy applications
electronics
12:42, 4th Feb 2012

Water Heating with Surplus Solar PV
Heat water with surplus solar generated electricity
solar
10:58, 4th Feb 2012

Hacked PIR Sensor
Cannibalise a cheap PIR sensor to put it to other uses
electronics
10:44, 4th Feb 2012

Make a Still
Find out how to make your own still for distilling ethanol fuel
biomass
13:49, 31st Jan 2012

PICAXE Microcontrollers
Find out about PICAXE microcontrollers and their use in renewable energy projects
electronics
13:12, 30th Jan 2012



REUK Shop

Popular Items


REUK SUPER LDR DUSK DAWN RELAY CONTROLLER
Multi-function light detector triggered light/dark dawn/dusk relay controller
£18.95 each.
Complete Circuits



KARASOULI SCC 20 CHARGE CONTROLLER
20A rated wind turbine charge controller and dump load controller with blocking diode and heatsink
£43.95 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



REUK SUPER POULTRY LIGHTING CONTROLLER
Control up to 8 Watts of LED spotlights to stimulate egg production in birds
£29.99 each.
Complete Circuits



REUK SUPER TIMER 2
User programmable 12VDC powered 16A rated repeating relay timer. 1 second to 99 hours ON and OFF times
£23.99 each.
Complete Circuits



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



CONVERTED PROGRAMMABLE DIGITAL TIMER RELAY
Mains powered programmable timer converted to low voltage with relay board
£21.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



12 VOLT REGULATOR
Supply a fixed 12.0 Volt DC to your devices (up to 1 Amp output)
£4.99 each.
Complete Circuits



MR16 CERAMIC BULB HOLDER
Bulb holder for 12 Volt LED spotlight bulbs
£1.39 each.
Energy Efficient Lighting