Wind turbine blade with pocket-shaped drag portion, reversed-orientation airfoil trailing same, and auxiliary blade supports

A vertical axis wind turbine comprising:

• a rotor supported for rotation about a vertical rotation axis;
• and
• a blade coupled to the rotor to drive rotation thereof about the vertical rotation axis under action of a wind current on said blade, wherein the at least one blade comprises:
• a drag element having, in horizontal cross-sectional planes of normal orientation to said vertical rotation axis, a first cross-sectional shape defining a concave pocket positioned and orientated relative to said vertical rotation axis to receive impingement of said wind current against said concave pocket to thereby drive revolution of the blade around said vertical rotation axis;
• an airfoil having, in said cross-sectional planes, a second cross-sectional shape having a rounded edge and an opposing sharper edge, the sharper edge pointing toward the drag element from a side thereof to which the concave pocket faces and the rounded edge pointing away from the drag element on the same side thereof as the sharper edge such that the sharper edge leads the rounded edge under revolution of the blade around the vertical rotation axis under impingement of said wind current against the concave pocket of the drag element.

A wind turbine blade for a vertical axis wind turbine, said blade comprising:

• a drag element having, in cross-sectional planes of the blade, a first cross-sectional shape defining a concave pocket;
• an airfoil having, in said cross-sectional planes of the blade, a second cross-sectional shape having a rounded edge and an opposing sharper edge, the sharper edge pointing toward the drag element from a side thereof to which the concave pocket faces and the rounded edge pointing away from the drag element on the same side thereof as the sharper edge;
• and
• a rotor connection element that extends from a side of the blade and has an end situated furthest from the blade at which the rotor connection element is arranged for coupling to a rotor of the vertical axis wind turbine;
• wherein the concave pocket of the drag element is positioned and oriented relative to the connection element so as to be impinged by wind current to drive revolution of the blade about a rotation axis of the rotor of the wind turbine when the blade is in an installed position with the rotor connection element coupled to said rotor.