What is the most effective and efficient design for a wind generator?
Barnard On Wind Redux Post: Yes, the big, white, three-bladed wind turbines are the best
It seems as if every week, a new wind generator innovation is unveiled, sometimes in technology blogs, sometimes in TV segments, once even on TED Talks. They all claim to be better than the iconic, three-blade, horizontal-axis wind turbines we are most familiar with. So what is the most efficient design for capturing wind energy? If each design were subject to a constant wind source, and each design had the same surface area (for blades, aerofoils, or other component), which would generate the most electricity over the same time interval?
Short Answer
A modern horizontal-axis, three-blade wind turbine would generate the most electricity. Claims of superior performance by alternate technologies accompanied by requests for investment should be viewed extremely skeptically.
Long Answer
Maximum potential generation from a volume of wind is determined by Betz’ Law (alternately known as Betz’ Limit). Betz calculated that the maximum power that could be gained from the wind was 59.3% of its total energy. [1]
