What are vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs)? Would the Humboldt offshore wind project potentially use VAWTs?

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) (1) are an alternative design to more conventional horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs) (2). As their name suggests, VAWTs spin on a vertical axis instead of a horizontal axis. Some of the advantages of VAWTs include that they can operate no matter which direction the wind is blowing, and are quieter than HAWTs. For that reason, they are popular in urban settings. Unfortunately, VAWTs are currently far less efficient than HAWTs, such that they produce far less electricity from the same amount of wind and we would need far more VAWTs (using far more materials) to generate the same amount of electricity. Some modeled research has indicated (3) that the loss of efficiency could be mitigated for when using offshore turbines, but this is still a developing concept. Given the amount of financial investment involved, developers of Humboldt offshore wind are far more likely to choose the proven technology of HAWTs.