| By :
Roger Brown
If you are sizing up the vertical wind turbine for home use, you need to consider these 3 huge positive aspects of this vertical genre and why they may be better than horizontal-axis turbines for your application. This is by no means an exhaustive list but these 3 items are strong motivators for focusing on vertical wind turbines… 1. Perfect for the roof - the small footprint of the vertical means you can fit multiple units in a relatively small space. This is an enormous point and pretty much is the key driver for the future of the urban version of windmills. They are for the most part small and compact. Also, being roof-mountable, they are easier to get up and running. The simpler windmills are to plug and play, the quicker they will be deployed into the general marketplace. 2. Perfect in chaotic wind - verticals operate much better than horizontal units in turbulent wind conditions. That is because they don\'t "seek" the optimal wind. Instead they turn in whichever the direction the wind happens to be moving at the moment. As the technology improves and cut-in speeds decrease, (that\'s when they start making power), vertical-axis windmills will be an increasingly greater solution for environments where horizontal turbines don\'t perform as well, like on rooftops. 3. High wind speed not a problem - horizontal wind turbines shut down in high wind conditions to keep them from tearing themselves apart. Vertical wind turbines however can work in higher wind conditions. This is a big advantage also because if you have a horizontal wind turbine and happen to live in an area where there are a lot of storms, you could end up having to reset your wind turbine frequently after they pass. The one glaring negative about the vertical is its relative lack of efficiency as compared with the horizontal. Vertical wind turbines in general only achieve about 70% of the efficiency of horizontal devices. That is because the thing that makes them perform so well on roofs - chaotic wind performance - makes them problematic from an efficiency standpoint. Efficiency of the unit has a lot to do with its ability to take maximum advantage of the prevailing wind. Horizontals just simply do that better than verticals because they have tail appendages that direct the windmill to the prevailing and strongest wind at the moment. In conclusion, the vertical wind turbine for the home is a great solution, especially if you are going to mount on your roof.
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