Vertical wind turbines could be the future of clean energy
Source :Electrek.co Author: Michelle Lewis – May. 4th 2021
Researchers at the UK’s Oxford Brookes University think wind turbines would be more efficient if they were designed differently. A team from the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics has come up with a new design they call “vertical turbines.”
According to the Oxford Brookes website, they conducted an in-depth study using more than 11,500 hours of computer simulation to show that wind farms can perform more efficiently by opting for compact Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), pictured above in a computer rendering, instead of propeller-type Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs).
VAWTs spin around an axis vertical to the ground, and the team asserts that if they’re set in pairs, they’d be 15% more efficient because the wind turbines would increase each other’s performance. Further, they also argue that arranging the VAWTs in a grid would further increase their efficiency.
Dr. Mahak Mahak, coauthor of the study, which is published in the International Journal of Renewable Energy, said:
The importance of using computational methods in understanding flow physics can’t be underestimated. These types of design and enhancement studies are a fraction of the cost compared to the huge experimental test facilities. This is particularly important at the initial design phase and is extremely useful for the industries trying to achieve maximum design efficiency and power output.
