This paper presents a review of over a decade of research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) conducted at Uppsala University. The paper presents, among others, an overview of the 200 kW VAWT located in Falkenberg, Sweden, as well as a description of the work done on the 12 kW prototype VAWT in Marsta, Sweden. Several key aspects have been tested and successfully demonstrated at our two expe...

Due to depleting fossil fuels and a rapid increase in the fuel prices globally, the search for alternative energy sources is becoming more and more significant. One of such energy source is the wind energy which can be harnessed with the use of wind turbines. The fundamental principle of wind turbines is to convert the wind energy into first mechanical and then into electrical form. The relativ...

We have recently presented an initial study of evolutionary algorithms used to design vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) wherein candidate prototypes are evaluated under approximated wind tunnel conditions after being physically instantiated by a 3D printer. That is, unlike other approaches such as computational fluid dynamics simulations, no mathematical formulations are used and no model ass...

This case study investigates the generator of a large offshore Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT). In particular this case study focuses on the effect of the inherent cyclic torque loading of the VAWT on the generator in terms of the costs and losses experienced. A spectrum of torque control strategies were created based on the ratio q of the allowed electrical torque variation to the mechanical...

The blades of a vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) rotor see an inconsistent angle of attack through its rotation. Consequently, VAWT blades generally use symmetrical aerofoils with a lower lift-to-drag ratio than cambered aerofoils tailored to maximise horizontal axis wind turbine rotor performance. This paper considers the feasibility of circulation controlled (CC) VAWT blades, using a tangent...

Scarcity of fossil fuels and a rapid escalation in the fuel prices around the world recently has lead the search for alternative energy sources. Out of the available energy sources, wind is being considered as the prime next generation energy source. The fundamental principle of wind turbines is to convert the wind energy into first mechanical and then into electrical form. The relatively simpl...

The present study addresses the experimental and numerical verification of the performance of a new airfoil design for lift driven vertical-axis wind-turbines (VAWT). The airfoil is obtained by a genetic algorithm optimization of the objective function proposed by Simão Ferreira and Geurts [19], which optimizes the aerodynamic performance of airfoils having a relatively larger thickness, provid...

The renewable energy sources such as wind energy maintain to increase in popularity since they are inexhaustible and pollution-free. The horizontalaxis wind turbine has been the most common type of wind turbines but due to recent increase in popularity of personal green energy solutions, Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) are becoming more common. Besides two mayor rotor types of VAWTs the Darr...

Due to the diminishing reserves of fossil fuels and increased pollution from exploitation of these fuels, the world is focusing on the renewable energy sources. Wind is being considered as one of the prime next generation energy sources. Considerable amount of research is being carried out on the innovative designs for maximizing the performance of wind turbines. Furthermore, a lot of research ...