Next Generation Wind Turbines

Present-day wind turbines are designed as horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT), however there’s a possibility that the next gen wind harvesting turbines will be vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT). They spin around their base, making them easier to service, easier to deploy and cheaper to maintain. The convenient thing is also that they start spinning with no connection to wind direction. Sandia National Labs has been modeling comparisons between VAWT and HAWT designs, with preliminary results offering that VAWTs may present substantial advantages if the advances in material science will let create the huge blades required by the most efficient VAWTs.
Via: dvice.com