Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine: Basic research methods

Horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) are the mainstream of wind power industry in the world; however, as turbines are becoming bigger, the maintenance of equipments grows more complex and costs much higher. Compared with HAWTs, Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have more technological advantages, providing an alternative for the wind power technology; hence Darrieus VAWTs are catching more eyes. Nevertheless, the majority of wind turbine design currently focuses on HAWTs, researches on Darrieus VAWTs have lagged significantly behind those on HAWTs, which have greatly hindered the development of VAWTs. Accordingly, this paper reviews the main basic research methods and their corresponding applications in Darrieus VAWTs, aiming to let more experts know the current research status and also provide some guidance for relevant researches. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.