How Do Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines Work?
Horizontal axis wind turbines are by far the more prevalent type of wind turbine in use today and historically speaking. Windmills, for example, use a horizontal axis wind turbine to power themselves, as do most modern wind-farm turbines. Horizontal axis wind turbines work by facing propeller blades into the wind on a horizontal rotor shaft. The action of the wind causes the blades to spin, much like a pinwheel. The blades are fixed and are connected to the rotor shaft, which rotates with them in the wind. The motion of this rotor shaft can then be used to do work of some kind or, in more modern applications, to generate electricity. How Do Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Work? Vertical axis turbines work on very similar principles to horizontal axis wind turbines, but with several key distinctions. To begin with, the rotor shaft of a vertical wind turbine is arranged in a vertical fashion, with the wind-catching blades arranged around the rotor shaft. Vertical axis wind turbines do not ne
