Before coming to Barcelona for my second year of the EIT InnoEnergy Master’s in Smart Electrical Networks and Systems, I had already heard that it was a vibrant city with interesting museums, architecture, and good food. When I arrived, I also discovered that Barcelona has small mountains and hills relatively close to the centre that offer easily accessible walking paths with great views. In Spanish, such a viewpoint is called a ‘mirador’, and I have visited several of these hilltops together with fellow students.
Moving vertically
One of my favourite viewpoints is on top of a hill close by where I live, and I like to go for a morning run there. When I’m there it is not only the view of the city that catches my attention, as my eyes are also drawn to a tall structure that stands on the hill, namely a relatively small, vertical-axis wind turbine.
Vertical VS horizontal-axis wind turbines
What most of us typically have in mind when we talk about wind power is the conventional horizontal-axis wind turbine which has come to dominate the market. These are so named because the axis of rotation of their blades is horizontal to the ground. Conversely, vertical-axis wind turbines, abbreviated ‘VAWT’, have their axis of rotation in the vertical direction, with the blades revolving around the tower. Since VAWT designs have proven to be less efficient than their horizontal counterpart in most circumstances, the horizontal-axis versions have stood for the biggest share of installations. Nevertheless, research on turbines continues and the VAWTs offer some benefits of their own that can make them suitable for niche markets.
An innovative technology?
An important pillar of all EIT InnoEnergy programes is the focus on innovation. It was as part of an innovation project in my master’s that my interest for VAWTs first arouse. Why was I looking into VAWTs in my innovation project? It certainly wasn’t because the technology is a novelty. Designs with vertical-axis wind turbines have been around for centuries, just as the horizontal version, dating back to early windmills for mechanical applications. At a course in wind power that I am currently following, together with students from several other EIT InnoEnergy programmes, we got to follow the evolution of wind power technologies including several VAWT mutations. Although the technology of VAWT isn’t an innovation per se, these turbines serve as an example of entrepreneurship that is based on identifying how the strengths of an existing technology can be exploited to fill a need in the market.
Benefits of VAWTs and potential markets
Some important benefits of VAWT designs include being less aesthetically imposing, better at handling turbulent winds and often more silent in operation. These arguments have been emphasised for the decision to install smaller, distributed VAWTs in urban areas, such as the one I run past at the mirador here in Barcelona.
In addition, VAWTs have been suggested for offshore plants. In the innovation project where I first studied the VAWT, I looked at a start-up proposing the technology for this use. The robustness and simplicity of the design, a lower point of gravity and easier accessibility to generator and gearbox as well as their ability to capture winds from several directions are among the key advantages of VAWTs for offshore applications. These advantages inspired the company I was studying in my innovation project to develop VAWTs aimed at the offshore market.
Weather forecast
With great investments and ambitions in wind power, I am eager to follow the evolution of both horizontal-axis and vertical-axis technologies. Following a wind power course gave me the opportunity to discuss the prospect of different design strategies with students from other EIT InnoEnergy programmes.
Innovation comes from thinking outside the box and combining the perspective of students from different master’s programmes provides a great platform for creative thinking. It is hard to say what the technologies of tomorrow will look like, but wind power will definitely play an important role in the energy transition in Europe. What is more, I also believe that following an EIT InnoEnergy Master School is a great first step to contribute to shape the technology’s future.
By Maria Isabel Bang Jensen, EIT InnoEnergy Master School student