Three or Two Blade Turbine
The only real advantage a
turbine with two blades is the
reduced
cost and weight of a third blade. However, since a two blade wind
turbine can't capture as much energy from the wind as a three blade
turbine can, it has to be designed to operate at higher RPMs to produce
the same amount of power. when it comes to small wind, this can hardly
be seen as an advantage!
They also suffer from a dynamic inbalance. For instance, when the top blade is in the wind the bottom blade is being shaded by the tower. This causes problems with yawing and puts unnecessary wear on the bearings. This makes them particularly unsuitable for high wind areas.
Three blades successfully eliminate these problems. In the
end three blades rule the day. However, a turbine with two
blades
may be suitable for you but that depends on a few more factors.
Photos Courtesy of DOE/NREL.
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