Savonius Wind Turbine

Savonius wind turbine is one of popular wind turbines utilized to produce electricity. This article will provide you with a few details on Savonius wind turbine and several advantages using this wind turbine.

Savonius wind turbine is classified into a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) because the rotor runs vertically. This wind turbine was invented by Sigurd J. Savonius in 1922. However, before Savonius invented this wind turbine, there was an effort to build similar wind turbine by Johann Ernst Bessler in 1745. Unfortunately, Johan fell when he was constructing the wind turbine.

Today, although 3-blades wind turbine is more popular especially for industrial usage, Savonius turbine gains more popularity among homeowners and small business owners since this wind turbine is more effective because it can operate in a low wind speed. The average efficiency of this turbine is 15 percent, which is considered high enough for residential usage. In general, this wind turbine is usually manufactured with two or three scoops and the scoops are designed to increase the aerodynamic of this wind turbine.

A twisted Savonius-style vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is animated to spin at 60 rpm as if it’s spinning in real wind. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Benefits of using Savonius wind turbine

The first benefit is that unlike 3-blades wind turbine that requires a large space, Savonius turbine requires smaller space so it is very effective for households or commercial buildings that have small space.
The second benefit is that this wind turbine is easy to build and does not produce noise that can wake up neighbors.
Although there are many areas on Earth that have high wind speed, there are also many areas that only have low wind speed. For areas with low wind speed, Savonius turbine is a more recommended option.
Another benefit from this wind turbine is that it can catch wind from any direction so it does not have to be adjusted to get the wind. And unlike another VAWT (Darrieus wind turbine), Savonius turbine can start on its own.
Since this wind turbine is constructed close to the ground, construction and maintenance can be conducted easily so construction and maintenance costs can be reduced.
Savonius is safer for birds and other flying animals because it is constructed close to the ground and it is more visible.
This wind turbine is quite affordable and homeowners can get a quality one at less than $5,000. Quality turbine and proper maintenance can make a wind turbine to last up to 20 years or even more.
Besides being used to generate electricity, this wind turbine is often used as advertising signs where the rotation of the turbine can easily grab attention from people.

The only disadvantage of this wind turbine is that the speed of this wind turbine cannot exceed the speed of the wind that hits it. A combination of Savonius and Darrieus wind turbine recently becomes a preferred option for most homeowners because the combination of both can result more power.

Reducing electricity bills just got easier with the development of Savonius wind turbine for residential usage. Savonius wind turbine is an excellent wind turbine that most homeowners should have in order to reduce dependency toward fossil energy.