A Study of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines


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Introduction:

As we all know, the demand for energy is increasing exponentially as more and more people inhabit this earth. At the same time, the energy source that met all of our needs in the past decades, non-renewable in nature, seems to decrease in equal pace leaving us at the door steps of renewable energy sources for help as we go forward in our journey in to the future. Due to this inevitable need, many scientists and researchers are turning back to the essential elements of nature which before the oil and gas came forcefully into the picture, helped humanity meet many of their energy needs. Water, Sun and Wind have been proven to be excellent sources of energy in the past centuries. Besides being renewable in nature, these energy sources do not seem to hurt the nature and seem to keep the chemical balance of the atmosphere intact.

Wind is a Natural Phenomenon:

Though wind energy seems to be originated from a source not related to the sun, on the contrary, it all starts from sun heating the earth surface and the elements around it namely land, water and the wind. This heating of the earth causes pressure differences between different areas on land and becomes a reason for wind movement between these areas. Besides the temperature difference between different areas on land, different thermal properties of land and the sea also contributes to this phenomenon. Seas ability to maintain the temperature for longer times than that of land caused a substantial temperature difference between the land and the sea during both daytime and night time.

History of Vertical Axis wind turbines:

Windmills are not a new technology, they are found to be used in Persia as early as 200 BC. The wind wheel of Heron of Alexandria is the earliest documented machines that were powered by wind[2]. However, the earliest working windmills were Vertical Axis Wind Mills that are believed to be used in the region next to present day Iran in around 7th century. These windmills were primarily used for pumping water and grinding grain.

Conclusions:

Vertical axis wind turbines are very promising systems that are practical and clean sources of energy especially for small scale energy needs and are also ideal for places where there are space
constraints. As more and more institutions are involved in research to make these wind turbines affordable, one could hope that the people groups in poorer nations, who do not have access to electricity today would one day enjoy the benefits of electricity.