Physics Interactable Turbine Design Factors

Wind Turbine Comparison

Six common turbine designs, their look, and how they rate on the criteria that matter in practice.

The six designs

Three-blade horizontal-axis wind turbine, annotated diagram
Horizontal-axis (HAWT) Three-blade upwind rotor · modern standard Wikimedia Commons
Darrieus vertical-axis wind turbine on the Gaspé peninsula
Darrieus (VAWT) Eggbeater curved blades · omni-directional Wikimedia Commons
Savonius S-drum vertical-axis rotor
Savonius (VAWT) S-drum drag rotor · high starting torque Wikimedia Commons
Giromill straight-blade vertical-axis wind turbine
Giromill / H-rotor Straight vertical blades on an H frame Wikimedia Commons
Cutaway diagram of a wind turbine nacelle, gearbox and rotor
Offshore fixed-bottom Multi-MW HAWT on a monopile jacket Wikimedia Commons
Concept for an airborne wind generator
Airborne / bladeless Kite-mass or vortex-shaft concepts Wikimedia Commons

Side-by-side ratings

Criterion Horizontal-axis Darrieus Savonius Giromill Offshore Airborne / bladeless
Aerodynamic efficiencyEnergy captured per swept area High Medium Low Medium High Varies
Cost per MWhLevelised, at scale Low High High Medium Medium Unproven
Maintenance accessDowntime and reachability Medium Good Good Good Poor Poor
Wind direction toleranceNeeds yaw control? Low High High High Low Medium
Noise & visual impactCommunity acceptance Medium Medium Low Medium Low Low
Commercial maturityField-deployed track record High Low Medium Low High Very low
Legend: High / Good / Low cost favourable Medium mixed Low / Poor / High cost unfavourable Varies design-dependent