New research from Oxford Brookes University claims that the vertical turbine design is more efficient than traditional horizontal turbines in large scale wind farms, and when set in pairs the vertical turbines increase each other’s performance by up to 15%.A research team from the School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics (ECM) at Oxford Brookes led by Professor Iakovos Tzanakis conducted an in-depth study using more than 11,500 hours of computer simulation to show that wind farms can perform more efficiently by substituting the traditional propeller type Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs), for compact Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs). The research found that VAWTs increase each other’s performance when arranged in grid formations. Professor Tzanakis comments “This study evidences that the future of wind farms should be vertical. Vertical axis wind farm turbines can be designed to be much closer together, increasing their efficiency and ultimately lowering the prices of electricity.
