mlts22 wrote:
To my knowledge, VAWTs don't even come close to what a HAWT can produce come a steady wind. However, a VAWT seems to be better when the wind is variable (central TX wind can be calm one second, gusting the next, so it is a great area for solar, but not for wind generation with HAWTs.)
Now this gets me curious... I wish that the Windside folks had a RV-friendly turbine. A small one wouldn't be handing me 250 watts like a HAWT slapped on a tower, but it would bring in something, especially if the wind is variable.
My blades will slow a bit with wind direction change, momentarily, as the vane pulls the prop set into the new direction. This may be partly to due with the lessening of the wind force as it changes direction, i.e wind from North eases as gust from West enters the same airspace. It is really inconsequential. As long as there is any good wind, the props are turning and making power.
The difference with a VAWT, though, is that half of the swept surface is in the direction of the wind and half is against it, no matter which direction the wind blows. The prop on a HAWT allows the air to spill off the trailing edge of the blade. The principles involved actually have to do with lift and the motion of the air in the most fundamental sense.
Since our RV's are always moving in one forward direction, a guy could mount a cylindrical fan on a leading edge or on top and make some power. It might work, somewhat, when the RV is at rest and the wind is blowing. It's a complex way to make a small bit of power.
