LEGO Wind Energy: Green Energy Projects with Mindstorms EV3

© Grady Koch 2019

Grady Koch and Elias KochLEGO Wind Energyhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-4439-5_3

3. The Vertical-Axis Turbine

Grady Koch¹  and Elias Koch²

(1)

Yorktown, VA, USA

(2)

Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

 

Wind-turbine designs can be classified as either vertical axis or horizontal axis, referring to the axis about which the rotor spins. Most turbines seen in use are horizontal axis, as that style is more efficient than vertical axis turbines. This difference in efficiency is largely a matter of aerodynamics—horizontal-axis turbines’ blades take full advantage of aerodynamic lift. Vertical-axis turbines are easier to build, though, offering some advantages in their simpler design. For example, vertical-axis turbines need ...