In this work, a Savonius Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) and its Darrieus counterpart was designed and constructed based on a preliminary study involving wind pattern analysis of an identified study area, the Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, Nigeria. The turbines were constructed using wood and metals and the resulting blades were field tested under various wind conditions available in the study area. The results of the test were compared in terms of start-up wind speed and their rotor’s Revolution Per Minute (RPM) values. The result of this test showed that the Savonius rotor proves to self-start at a wind speed of 2.46 ms-1 with a minimum Revolution Per Minute (RPM) of 46 and maximum RPM of 89 at a wind speed of 9.28 ms-1. The Darrieus blade proves to self-start at a higher wind speed of 3.8 ms-1 with a minimum RPM of 54 and a maximum RPM of 93 and at a wind speed of 8.9 ms-1 under same prevailing atmospheric conditions of the study area. When both standalone results were integrated into a single system, an equivalent of a combined Savonius-Darrieus type of VAWT resulted and for which a reinforcement in RPM was observed. It was recommended that a combined Darrieus and Savonius VAWT when constructed will optimize the high rotational efficiency of Darrieus and the high self-starting capabilities of Savonous VAWT.
Keywords: RPM, Renewable Energy, Wind Turbine, Wind speed, darrieus, savonius
