Blade tweak boosts vertical-axis wind turbine efficiency by 200% [Video]

While horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) dominate the modern wind energy landscape, vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have a rich historical origin. Their origins date back to the eighth century in the Middle East for grain milling.

VAWTs, spinning perpendicular to the wind, offer advantages such as higher wind energy density. Also, it features quieter operation due to slower rotation and a smaller spatial footprint for equivalent output, both onshore and offshore.

Moreover, their lateral blade movement is more wildlife-friendly, allowing birds to avoid them more easily. Despite these benefits, VAWTs remain rare in today’s wind energy market.

The issue came down to an engineering problem – airflow control, which researchers at the School of Engineering Unsteady Flow Diagnostics Lab (UNFOLD) at EPFL promise to solve. …