A Review on the Evolution of Darrieus Vertical Axis Wind Turbine: Small Wind Turbines

Wind energy witnessed tremendous growth in the past decade and emerged as the most sought renewable energy source after solar energy. Though the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT) is preferred for multi-megawatt power generation, Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWT) is as competitive as HAWT. The current study aims to summarize the development of VAWT, in particular, Darrieus turbine from the past to the project that is underway. The reason for the technical challenges and past failures are discussed. Various configurations of VAWT have been assessed in terms of reliability, components and low wind speed performance. Innovative concepts and the feasibility to scale up for megawatt electricity generation, especially in offshore environments are investigated. This paper is a modest attempt to highlight the state-of-the-art information on the ongoing developments focusing on decentralized power generation. This review is envisioned as an information hub for the major developments in VAWT and its technical advancements so far.