There are basically 2 kinds of wind turbines on the market now - the horizontal axis wind generator and the vertical wind generator. The basic engineering differences relate to orientation of the spinning shaft. The vertical wind generator spins like a top. The horizontal device looks somewhat like dutch windmill.
Horizontal devices are more efficient and due to current economies of scale and numbers that are out there in production, they are often quite a bit cheaper. However, there are several weaknesses that make the vertical generator better for you especially if you live in a big city.
First and foremost, the vertical wind generator has a very small footprint when compared with the horizontal wind device. This can be the most important factor if your only real estate is on your roof. This is really the promise so to speak of wind energy in big cities. Our ability to use roof real estate to our advantage is going to be crucial for powering the future in places where there are not many other options. If you happen to live out in the country and away from a lot of people you can usually have a wind turbine on a tower high up in the atmosphere. That is by and large the best place to harvest the wind and the energy it contains.
Secondly, the vertical wind generator is less efficient at producing electricity, but it makes up for it in the fact that you can easily install multiple units in a small amount of roof space. But, the small footprint of the vertical wind generator has allows it to be able to put in a row of these devices on top of roof in a big city that doesn't have the better choices.
Lastly, the vertical wind generator is easier to look at which makes them more acceptable by communities with permitting processes. This can be the difference between getting your wind turbine installed and not getting installed, if you are living in a large urban environment. A lot of people simply do not like looking at the horizontal wind turbine, because it is constantly seeking the most prevailing or strongest wind. That means it is shifting back and forth at a rapid pace in a high wind condition and that can be rather annoying to someone who is reaping immediate benefit from the electricity it creates.
In conclusion, the vertical wind generator is better than the horizontal for the urban dweller. If you get right down to it, the vertical home wind turbine, although less efficient, is going to end up dominating this genre.
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Roger G. Brown has saved millions of dollars on electrical power costs. Discover Roger's guidelines. http://windturbinealternatives.com
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