My Savonius VAWT - A new spin on an old twist. My project to make electricity

My take on the Savonius rotor, a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine or VAWT. Here I will share some of the information that I used to develop my wind power generating unit. I hope the information is of value to you.

Today, (February 2007), I read in the ABC news that wind is being seriously considered for off shore power generation, ''Offshore wind turbines could produce enough electricity to power nine states, plus the District of Columbia, with a surplus of 50 percent for future growth, according to the study. At the same time, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by 68 percent, and all greenhouse gases would be reduced by 57 percent, according to the study, published in the Jan. 24 issue of Geophysical Research Letters.'' Imagine if everyone in this country in a good wind area put up a home-size wind generator system, we could have a positive impact on the environment while saving lots of money in the long run. There is no reason to put off a project of this type.

Before you begin, you will want to make sure you are in an area that has enough wind to make this a worthy endeavor. Here is a link to a wind map of the U.S.:
Wikipedia Wind Map

According to my reading, the ''good air'' is about 20 feet or higher above the ground. This is also something to consider. You want air flow to hit your windmill without a lot of turbulence from structures. Local city and or community ordinance may not allow you to have anything above a certain height other than a tree.

Another thing to consider is wind gusts, wind energy potential increases very rapidly with increasing wind speed. In fact, if wind speed doubles, the energy content goes up by a factor of eight. So even if you have relatively calm wind with regular gusts, you may want to ''catch'' some of that energy. Remember, the Savonius rotor doesn't mind gusts or even what direction they come from. This unique feature of the Savonius rotor allows you to take full advantage of varying and gusty winds.

Since ancient times, man has harnessed the power of the wind to do work. Also, the technique of grinding grain between stones to produce flour is similarly ancient, and widespread. Where and when these two came together in the first windmill is unknown, but a general consensus suggests a Persian origin, from where (tradition has it) the knowledge spread back into Northern Europe as a result of the Crusades. However, since the Persian mills were quite unlike the early European designs it is just as likely that the adaptation of wind as a power source was independently discovered in Europe at a later date. (Of course wind was not the first non-human power source applied to the task of grinding corn - it was preceded by animal power, and probably, water power).

According to a document used in the UK education system, the windmill was invented in 634 A.D. for a Persian caliph and was used to grind corn and draw up water for irrigation. In the vast deserts of Arabia, when the seasonal streams ran dry, the only source of power was the wind which blew steadily from one direction for months. Mills had six or 12 sails covered in fabric or palm leaves. It was 500 years before the first windmill was seen in Europe.

Interesting enough, this first windmill was a vertical axis arrangement with a shroud to aid the prevailing wind into the most useful portion of the sails. The only problem was the cowling made the machine directional and thus dependent on a prevailing wind to be affective.

Modern variations of the vertical axis wind turbine or VAWT, do not have this directional limitation. Check the links on this page to find out more about my project.