A New Design for Hurricane Resistant Wind Turbines

04/27/18

“How can we make turbines dedicated to withstanding hurricanes?”

 

Although offshore wind turbines can generate much greater amounts of energy than normal during hurricanes, the storm conditions can be disastrous to their structural integrity. This has prompted researchers from the University of Virginia, University of Illinois, University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Sandia National Laboratories to come up with a new design. Taking design inspiration from palm trees, the so-called Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor Wind Turbine used downward facing blades that can move flexibly with the advent of strong winds. These blades are also made out of lighter material and the turbines have a simpler construction, allowing for easier assembly. Testing on these units will begin in the U.S State of Colorado this Summer, hopefully with exciting results.