Wind turbine blades specifications

Loos (2011) reported that investigators from Bayer Material Science LLC, USA and Moulded Fibre Glass, Cleveland, USA have developed a prototype wind turbine blade 0.74 m long manufactured from polyurethane reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNT PU). The researchers claim that the advanced material has a specific tensile strength five times and 60 times that of carbon fibre composite and aluminium, respectively, and is tougher than carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) but the excellent properties of these materials come with a price penalty. 

Table 15.1 Calculated specifications of the developed small wind turbine blade...

Wind is the most cost competitive of the renewable energy technologies. Advanced turbines, primarily horizontal axis designs, have replaced the sails and blades of traditional farm windmills. The focus is on large power plants with individual turbines as large as 1,000 kW. Since the 1980s, cost has dropped, efficiency has increased, and reliability has improved. Modem wind turbines produce electricity for 5 to 6 cents/kWh. Bird kill, visual impact, and noise are perceived as environmental issues. The intermittent and site-specific nature of the wind poses challenges. 

On the positive side, the three-dimensional nature of the resource provides it with a distinct advantage compared to other solar technologies. Specifically, because siting usually involves placing the individual turbines as high as possible, typically spacing turbines about 2 to 3 blade diameters apart crosswind and 10 diameters apart downwind, only a small fraction of a wind farm area is actually occupied. The rest of the land remains available for other appHcations, such as crop production or Hvestock grazing. 

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