One of popular wind turbines is the Darrieus Wind Turbine. This wind turbine is categorized as a vertical axis wind turbine (AVWT) because the rotor runs vertically. This wind turbine was invented by George Jean Marie Darrieus in 1927 and he patented this wind turbine in 1931.
Advantages of Darrieus Wind Turbine
With the design similar to eggbeater, there are two advantages offered by this wind turbine.
- The first benefit is that this wind turbine offers easier construction and maintenance since the generator, power train and controller are located close to the ground.
- The second benefit is that this wind turbine can function effectively regardless of where the wind blows. For areas where the wind direction changes frequently, using this wind turbine is more beneficial than using a 3-blades wind turbine.
Fig. 1: A Darrieus wind turbine once used to generate electricity on the Magdalen Islands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Facts on Darrieus Wind Turbine
Performance, safety and cost are three main concerns when determining whether a wind turbine is good or not. Although this wind turbine offers two advantages, it is advisable to consider the following facts so you can have a better grasp on the effectiveness of this wind turbine.
- The first fact, which is one of the disadvantages of this wind turbine, is that this wind turbine cannot start on its own. This turbine needs a small-powered motor to start rotating. When this turbine has reached a certain speed and the wind blows steadily, the turbine can rotate by the wind.
- Since the rotor of this wind turbine is close to the ground, it often does not get enough wind. The reason is obvious, wind blows stronger at higher places.
- In order to optimize this wind turbine, many engineers made various modifications that result in new wind turbine designs. One of the further developments of Darrieus Turbine is Giromill. If compared to the original Darrieus Turbine, the Giromill is easier and cheaper to build. However, this wind turbine is not popular because it has a very low performance.
- The latest development of Darrieus Turbine is called Windspire Wind Turbine. This wind turbine is quite popular as it only requires small space, it is very affordable even for residential usage, and it has an elegant design. There are many hotels, houses, and other commercial buildings in many countries that use Windspire Wind Turbine.
- In May 1977, the first large Darrieus Turbine was constructed on Magdalen Island, Canada. The wind turbine was constructed by Dominion Aluminum Fabricators and it produced 230-kW of electricity.
- The largest Darrieus Turbine ever constructed is located in Cap-Chat, Canada. The wind turbine is named the Eole with a 100m tall and 60m wide.
- Recently, Taiwan wind turbine developers combine Darrieus Wind Turbine with Savonic Wind Turbine to get the benefits from both wind turbines.
Although the performance of original Darrieus turbine is less effective if compared to 3-blades wind turbine, this wind turbine has given a solid basis for today’s wind turbines. There are many popular wind turbines that use Darrieus Wind Turbine as the basis.
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