Another Approach to Wind

This article highlights how vertical-axis turbines may avoid the limitations of today’s standard propeller-like machines. Horizontal-axis wind turbine technology is likely to peak in the next few years, largely because of the limitations of the blades and their effects on the machine. The power output of a wind turbine is directly related to the swept area of its blades. The larger the diameter, the more power it is capable of extracting from the wind. The larger the blades, the stronger they need to be to withstand the higher levels of centrifugal force and stresses caused by their additional size and weight. Tall masonry structures of the sort that are suitable for the Eurowind turbines were once a common sight in industrial cities and towns across the globe. However, as technology changed, many of these structures became obsolete. Indeed, the structures have lent their name to an entire subset of old-fashioned, low-tech businesses in smokestack industries.