An increasing number of consumers and businesses are using vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) over the horizontal design to take advantage of the many benefits that come with using a VAWT.
Wind flow is rarely constant and consistent, rather it is usually turbulent and veering. The influences of nearby obstacles can significantly alter wind flow patterns.
Unlike a traditional horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT), a VAWT rotates around the shaft vertically. VAWTs provide good performance in urban and suburban environments due to their inherent design characteristics. Some key benefits of small scale VAWTs over horizontal wind turbines are:
SAFER – The design of the blades and plane of rotation means that the VAWT is intrinsically safe, in that accidental human contact will unlikely result in serious injury during operation. Press here for attached footage of a hand being inserted into a moving Forgen 1000.
Click here to see a video demonstration of Forgen vertical axis wind turbine safety when in contact with blades.
ANY WIND DIRECTION – Ability to effectively capture turbulent winds from any direction; VAWTs do not need a yaw mechanism to face the blade rotor into veering wind directions. They immediately capture wind from any direction;
LOW VIBRATION AND NOISE – VAWTs also typically operate at lower rotational speeds, thereby reducing or eliminating turbine vibrations and noise.