The efficiency these units are theoretically capable of achieving is almost 60%, which seems low in a way, but is really quite high for a device like this. Horizontal axis wind turbines are the majority of what utilities use to make wind energy in their turbine farms as well. This is further evidence that this type of technology is the most efficient. The best engineering minds are affirming that horizontal wind turbine equipment beats all the rest.
Although you will find vertical axis devices used sporadically on a commercial basis, you almost never find vertical axis wind turbines being used by a large utility when they're trying to make the most power that they can from the wind in a given spot.
These are the reasons horizontal wind turbines are so good at what they do…
They only seek the strongest wind - Horizontal axis wind turbines have a tail section that allows them to find the most efficient way to make power at any given moment. What that means is that with a horizontal axis wind turbine you will always be guaranteed to be facing the rotor path into direction of the strongest wind. This makes it much more efficient. Horizontal axis wind turbines can have actual field efficiencies at approximately 70% of the theoretical or at least in the mid-40%. This makes them drastically more efficient than their counterpart, the vertical axis wind turbine.
Horizontals are pure wind machines - These devices were not made to be pretty and they aren't. There are many people that have a problem with the way they look and have appealed to local governments to change permitting policies to keep these types of devices out of their local communities. This is a real dilemma for many people who wish to make the most electricity they can out of the wind that they have available on their land.
As a side note, horizontal wind turbines are quite easy to install. They are not as aesthetically pleasing as is the design of the vertical axis wind turbine but they make up for their relative lack of beauty by working hard and making the most power for your investment dollar. Unfortunately for the ugly horizontal axis wind turbine though, there will be fewer opportunities for them in the future due to the fact that most projects involving residential and commercial wind will occur in cities with the complex aerodynamics that come along with roofs.
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