‘More efficient’ vertical turbines should replace traditional design on wind farms, researchers say

Harry Cockburn asks if we are about to see a revolution in turbine design

Farm of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (Oxford Brookes University)

New research suggests the now-familiar sight of three-blade wind turbines should be replaced in future with more compact and efficient vertical turbines.

Not only would the design change result in smaller structures, but, if the turbines are strategically placed, they could enhance each other’s performance by up to 15 per cent, researchers at Oxford Brookes University claim.

The researchers used almost 12,000 hours of computer simulations to show that wind farms could perform more efficiently by substituting the traditional propellor type turbines for vertical axis turbines.