A rotor blade for a wind turbine having an aerodynamic profile which extends from a blade root up to a blade tip and has a leading edge and a trailing edge. An adjustable aerodynamic flap, which can be adjusted between a retracted and a deployed position by means of a flap drive, is provided on the rotor blade. The flap drive comprises a passive control system which controls a flap position depending on rotation speed. The passive control system of the flap drive is low-maintenance and does not interfere with the safety concept of a wind turbine. In comparison with a reference rotor blade without a flap, the rotor blade has increased lift at low wind speeds.

A vertical axis wind turbine with improved safety, production efficiency and greater functional wind speed range. A vertical axis wind turbine comprises turbine blades having geometric characteristics of a “yin yang” symbol when viewed from the top down. The turbine blades are configured to form a scoop portion for catching wind. The surface area of the scoop portion may be dynamically configured to accommodate power production in higher wind speed ranges by dynamically furling the blades to reduce the surface area of the scoop portion as RPM begins to exceed a safe limit. First and second permanent magnet rotor arrays are dynamically positioned above and below an array of stator coils to maximize power generation.

A vertical axis wind turbine with improved safety, production efficiency and greater functional wind speed range. A vertical axis wind turbine comprises turbine blades having geometric characteristics of a yin yang symbol when viewed from the top down. The turbine blades are configured to form a scoop portion for catching wind. The surface area of the scoop portion may be dynamically configured to accommodate power production in higher wind speed ranges by dynamically furling the blades to reduce the surface area of the scoop portion as RPM begins to exceed a safe limit. First and second permanent magnet rotor arrays are dynamically positioned above and below an array of stator coils to maximize power generation.

A rotor blade for a wind turbine having an aerodynamic profile which extends from a blade root up to a blade tip and has a leading edge and a trailing edge. An adjustable aerodynamic flap, which can be adjusted between a retracted and a deployed position by means of a flap drive, is provided on the rotor blade. The flap drive comprises a passive control system which controls a flap position depending on rotation speed. The passive control system of the flap drive is low-maintenance and does not interfere with the safety concept of a wind turbine. In comparison with a reference rotor blade without a flap, the rotor blade has increased lift at low wind speeds.

A vertical axis wind turbine with improved safety, production efficiency and greater functional wind speed range. A vertical axis wind turbine comprises turbine blades having geometric characteristics of a yin yang symbol when viewed from the top down. The turbine blades are configured to form a scoop portion for catching wind. The surface area of the scoop portion may be dynamically configured to accommodate power production in higher wind speed ranges by dynamically furling the blades to reduce the surface area of the scoop portion as RPM begins to exceed a safe limit. First and second permanent magnet rotor arrays are dynamically positioned above and below an array of stator coils to maximize power generation.

A vertical axis wind turbine with improved safety, production efficiency and greater functional wind speed range. A vertical axis wind turbine comprises turbine blades having geometric characteristics of a yin yang symbol when viewed from the top down. The turbine blades are configured to form a scoop portion for catching wind. The surface area of the scoop portion may be dynamically configured to accommodate power production in higher wind speed ranges by dynamically furling the blades to reduce the surface area of the scoop portion as RPM begins to exceed a safe limit. First and second permanent magnet rotor arrays are dynamically positioned above and below an array of stator coils to maximize power generation.

A horizontal-shaft wind machine having improved low wind speed performance and greater overall efficiency consists of multiple rotors, wherein each successive rotor is larger in diameter than the previous rotor moving from the most windward rotor to the most leeward rotor. Each rotor may be coupled to a separate concentric shaft, and all rotors may rotate in the same direction with the output shafts of each rotor coupled via an overrunning clutch to a single shaft, the output of which is used to drive the load. Winglets attached to the leading edge and tip of the rotor sails improve low wind startup torque.

A horizontal-shaft wind machine having improved low wind speed performance and greater overall efficiency consists of multiple rotors, wherein each successive rotor is larger in diameter than the previous rotor moving from the most windward rotor to the most leeward rotor. Each rotor may be coupled to a separate concentric shaft, and all rotors may rotate in the same direction with the output shafts of each rotor coupled via an overrunning clutch to a single shaft, the output of which is used to drive the load. Winglets attached to the leading edge and tip of the rotor sails improve low wind startup torque.

Disclosed is a passive blade pitch control module. An embodiment of the present invention provides a passive blade pitch control module comprising: a body part which includes a center column and is connected to a rotation shaft of a wind power generator; one or more rotation blocks which are coupled to the body part so as to be rotatable about a pitch axis and to which a blade is mounted and supported; a link plate which is coupled to the center column so as to be movable along the center column and is eccentrically coupled to the rotation blocks with respect to the pitch axis; and a spring for elastically supporting the link plate.

The apparatus includes a wind turbine system for the collection of wind energy and the conversion thereof through staged-compression into highly compressed gas. The highly compressed gas is routed to a central tank, and then expanded into a plurality of concentric ring tanks, each storing gas at successively lower pressures. The cooling resulting from this expansion is utilized to cool hot compressed gas from an intermediate line of gas compressors, increasing the efficiency of the following compressors. This absorption of heat also improves the efficiency of the gas turbines driving electrical generators. The gas compressor in each wind turbine is located near ground level, and driven by a vertical shaft passing through the wind turbine support tower. One embodiment has conventional radially extending blades, and another embodiment has ducted blades to withstand higher winds. Both ground mounted and deep water adaptions for the wind turbines are disclosed.