an introduction to HAWT's

By definition, a windmill is a machine that converts the energy of the wind into rotational energy. When you think of windmill, what is the first image that pops into your head? Probably something like --------------->

But what do these two have in common? The face of the windmill is straight up and down, the turbine is horizontally oriented. Both of these are Horizontal Axis Windmill Turbines, or HAWT's.

This is the most common type of windmill, the most popular, most used... but there is a little brother, the lesser known windmill that is know as a Vertical Axis Windmill Turbine.