Author: Kevin Wolf
Publication: Windpower Engineering & Development
Year Published: 2018

Wind farms in California and other regions of the world exist only in relatively small geographic regions.1 Most of these resource areas have reached their physical or political2  limits in their ability to install additional propeller-type, horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs).3 Nonetheless, many have topographies that create excellent near-ground wind speeds. To profit from the energetic wind below their HAWTs, wind farm owners need cost-effective vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) that operate efficiently in high turbulence and that do so without wake4 from the added rotors negatively impacting their existing turbines. They also need turbines that are wildlife friendly.