A Vertical Access Wind Turbine for the Built Environment
A recent report from the British Wind Energy Association on the small wind industry in the UK identified an annual growth rate of about 80%, and suggested that this was set to continue at a similar rate for the foreseeable future. However, despite the evidently huge market potential, some critics are still saying that much of the technology is not suited to the built environment and that the available equipment is generally expensive, with long payback times. It is easy to understand these views when you see a typical horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) sited in an urban setting, continually hunting for the wind on a blustery day, and when the cost of one of the helical type vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) is £25,000 before installation costs of a further £10,000-15,000. However, a newly developed VAWT, designed to meet this demand and costing about? £12,000 fully installed and connected, is to go onto the market shortly.
