Efficiency Analysis of Horizontal Axis and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

Recently, many customers have asked us about wind turbines, and we found a problem in communication. Customers tend to prefer vertical axis wind turbines over horizontal axis ones. Especially for European customers, they think vertical axes are more aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly, and are more in line with local policies and the environment. As a sales engineer who has been working in the home wind power industry for more than a decade, I felt the need to write a truthful and professional article to analyze the efficiency differences between the two types of wind turbines.

The core principle of wind turbines is to convert wind energy into mechanical energy, which is then converted into electrical energy. In simple terms, the wind blows the blades to rotate, and the blades drive the rotor inside the generator to cut through the magnetic lines of force, thereby generating an electric current. Although the core principle is the same, but the horizontal axis and vertical axis of the two mainstream turbines in the rotation mode has a fundamental difference, which is also the root cause of their performance differences.

Take a 5kW wind generator as an example. At a wind speed of 2m/s, the horizontal axis wind turbine won't even rotate, but the vertical axis wind turbine has already started rotating. However, such rotation does not generate active output; it just appears to be working. At a wind speed of 5.5m/s, the power generation of the horizontal axis wind turbine is 2kW, while the power generation efficiency of the vertical axis wind turbine is only 800W. This clearly shows that the vertical axis wind generator is more suitable for micro-wind start-up, while the horizontal axis wind turbine has a significantly higher power generation efficiency when reaching the cut-in wind speed of 3m/s, approximately 2.5 times that of the vertical axis wind generator.

Vertical axis wind turbines have advantages in areas with chaotic wind directions. It can receive wind energy from all directions in a 360-degree non-stop manner and convert it into mechanical energy. However, horizontal axis wind turbines require a yaw system control, which will result in lag and loss of some wind energy.

The choice of which type of wind generators to use depends on your local wind energy conditions, such as wind direction and average wind speed. If you are interested in renewable energy, please contact us at any time to customize your exclusive wind energy system solution.