Discount the 50 year hype crap.
I like VAWT design but they trade off efficiency. Still, if you're going to attempt to harness 100mph+ winds, you need to get away from feathering props like the popular Danish models do. It'll be interesting to see if this progresses.
http://www.geek.com/tech/japanese-engineer-creates-a-wind-turbine-that-loves-typhoons-1672663/
It is an interesting design. I like the way the barrels spool up at lower wind speeds and then the whole egg-beater kicks in when the wind picks up more. The efficiency claims are pretty good for an unconventional design.
This highlights the need for storage. He says one typhoon could power Japan for 50 years, but how do you store 50 years worth of electricity?
I suppose in an ideal case, you throw most of the energy away on a fairly inefficient conversion (such as generating liquid hydrogen) and then Japan actually becomes an energy exporter.
I've been following vawts for about 8-10 yrs now. For residential use, the design has a lot going for it, imo. But, vawts haven't been successful in general. Good coverage here:
http://www.wind-works.org/cms/index.php?id=116
But of all the vawt designs, the Lenz turbine strikes me as the most bang for the buck and DIY-friendly.
http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/vawt.htm
Don't see too many wind turbines in Japan. The typhoons would shred the normal ones. That's probably why they seem to be going thru a solar boom (helps when the government offers subsidies)
Typhoons are erratic and don't hit the same areas all the time. These things look interesting, but your chances of getting a direct hit might limit their adoption.
Vertical axis wind turbines can offer cheaper electricity for urban and suburban areas
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170803103140.htm
bump
>vawt
Vertical turbines are used to convert traffic wind into electricity
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/p5dl9h/vertical_turbines_are_used_to_convert_traffic/
Well that's pretty awesome. Hadn't considered harnessing wind from traffic driving by.
>vawt
Norway's Contra-rotating floating turbines promise unprecedented scale and power
https://newatlas.com/energy/coaxial-vertical-floating-wind-turbines/