I recently recorded this short video of a grid-tied vertical-axis wind turbine and accompanied clock at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Although it sounds very windy in the video, I would guess it was gusting to only 12-14 knots. Running time is 50 seconds [please pardon the excited whimpers of my Labrador who knows he's going to play with the tennis ball].
VAWTs vertical axis wind turbines are both efficient and quiet, making them more suitable for energy production in residential areas than previous wind-based renewable energy technologies. Many current VAWT models resemble eggbeaters, with two blades attached to a central shaft, which is in turn anchored in a power generator. Others have a number of large, flat blades protruding from the central axis; and still others have a helix of extremely light plastic surrounding the axis. They typically stand between two and five feet in height and the best ones are able to attain 30 – 60% efficiency, depending on where they are located.
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