"The turbines Dabiri has been investigating aren't the giant pinwheels with blades like propellers—known as horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs)—that most people envision when they think about wind power. Instead, Dabiri's group uses much shorter turbines that look something like egg beaters sticking out of the ground. Dabiri and his colleagues believe that with further development, these so-called vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) could dramatically decrease the cost, footprint, and environmental impact of wind farms."


http://www.caltech.edu/content/caltechs-unique-wind-projects-move-forward