Flux Ungroundable and RotorNuts,
Thank you all for the positive replies. I should have known better than to post some pictures of my Savonius designs without catching some guff. In the begining, I learned how to make generators from otherpower.com, then I waited 4 years through tinkering, experimentation, and finally application before coming to this site to post. Now I'm regretting not taking more pictures of my 15' savonius WITH the generator on it. Though I let that device free wheel most of the time, and I haven't even gone to the site in 5 months, the times that I did have a generator mounted to it proved the device to be functional. It pushed 50+ volts and 20 amps = 1kW into 4 batteries at 25 mph winds. Unfortunately, probably because I am new here, no one is going to believe me.
That is why I have decided to drive an hour back out to the site and mount one of my newer generators to it and get some good video. I think the only way you guys are going to believe that a 1kW device can be made in 3 hours for about 150$, is if I make a video that shows the turbine turning, the anemometer readings, the current metering, and the battery bank all in one continuous shot. But then the nay sayers will probably argue that it took more than 3 hours to build, and I'm not going to post a 3 hour video.
You have all brought up really valid points as to why most people prefer the HAWT designs. They have been perfected, they have less moving parts, they are higher up and harness a cubicaly larger amount of wind power, they turn much faster and thus create excellent charging voltage, and they are attractively elegant in their simplicity.
Unfortunately, I don't believe that any of these factors are important. I live in the USA where money drives everything. I am starting an LLC to manufacture Savonius turbines for Iowans, and in this state of economy, my clients only look at dollar signs. The costs of any turbine are driven by: Materials, Labor, and Maintenance. Pressure treated lumber is cheep, and scrap roofing metal is widely available for free. Ground based turbines do not harness the cubically larger available power that a HAWT sees up on a pole, but I can make them have a much bigger area without a large increase in cost or labor. I'm sure that one of the major HAWT costs is the tower, and as you increase the swept area of your blades, the tower cost increases exponentially. My employees also do not know how to weld, and this isn't an issue. I have built a 1kW savonius, in only 3 hours, for about 150$ that has lasted over 1 year with no maintenance.
I came to this site for your advice. I want your feedback on my designs, and I know you guys are a very smart breed, so I appreciate your criticism, But... I really want your help. If all you can say is: "this guy is full of sh**", or "VAWTs just don't work" maybe I should go somewhere else. Sorry for the long post (it may be my last)