Windfarms - why not move the blades thru 90 degrees ?

[Mattk]

Why don't they change the blades so they are flat as you look at them ? This way you could fit 4 or 5 turbines on 1 mast thus generating more power in less space ?

[Octavius]

Perhaps because the propeller wouldn�t know which way to spin and any change in wind power or direction would affect power generated, as the turbine would be going one way then t�other?

http://www.awea.org/faq/basicop.html

[johnnyedge]

A good idea, however, would they still catch as much wind being horizontal?
Why dont they paint the mast green and make the blades the shape of palm trees so at least we would feel like we were in the tropics.
Better still, like a giant canibis tree, wow, total spin out or what?, there would be groups of druggies camped at the bottom of the mast thinking the had found utopia.
Happy days.

[knobbynonuts]

help

[james_m246]

this wind would have to be blowing downwards to spin the turbine efficiently.