Wind turbine blade design is one of the most important aspects in affecting wind turbine performance. The shape, size, weight, pitch angle, orientation of blade cross section, materials, and number of the blades will affect its ability to extract energy from the wind that will interpret into blade movement as the wind blow. Blade movement will turn on rotor that will turn on whole system to generate power. Blade design should also think about technical efficiency, economy efficiency, and comfortable operation. Since imperfections are there and the market demands something better, blade design of wind turbine is developing continuously.
Recently, wind turbines come in different designs with different blades. Some of them are horizontal axis, some of them are vertical axis, some of them are big, some of them are small, and more variations. The common industrial scale wind turbine is 3-blade horizontal axis. The common wind turbine blade design is long thin blade with airfoil cross sections from root to tip. On vertical axis wind turbine,the blade is totally different, usually wider. Small wind turbine design for individual uses such as at commercial building or household also has different blade design to make the system quieter yet efficient and affordable.
Experiments in designing better wind turbine blade are performed by many parties. Big scale experiments are commonly made by wind turbine companies who want to make better products. Some experiments are made by scientists and engineers of government body and private organization. There are even small class experiments at school level. The experiments in wind turbine blade design are involving numerous parameters, including but not limited to blade shape, length, pitch angle, materials, number, and weight. New ideas that lead to new theory seem appear continuously because wind electricity is potential sustainable power that promising a better future when we could make the system better. Wind is available free in many places all year long.
In the future, more variety of wind turbine blades could be expected as people keep experimenting. Even today, we could see numerous blade designs that some of them seem unique. In experimental level, there are blades in unique shape that arranged like kite. In the other experiment, the wind turbine is not rotating but vibrating with another different blade design. With the goal is better blade that could extract optimum energy with high efficiency and more affordable, the future wind turbine blade design could be something we never imagine.
Recently, wind turbines come in different designs with different blades. Some of them are horizontal axis, some of them are vertical axis, some of them are big, some of them are small, and more variations. The common industrial scale wind turbine is 3-blade horizontal axis. The common wind turbine blade design is long thin blade with airfoil cross sections from root to tip. On vertical axis wind turbine,the blade is totally different, usually wider. Small wind turbine design for individual uses such as at commercial building or household also has different blade design to make the system quieter yet efficient and affordable.
Experiments in Wind Turbine Blade Design
Experiments in designing better wind turbine blade are performed by many parties. Big scale experiments are commonly made by wind turbine companies who want to make better products. Some experiments are made by scientists and engineers of government body and private organization. There are even small class experiments at school level. The experiments in wind turbine blade design are involving numerous parameters, including but not limited to blade shape, length, pitch angle, materials, number, and weight. New ideas that lead to new theory seem appear continuously because wind electricity is potential sustainable power that promising a better future when we could make the system better. Wind is available free in many places all year long.
In the future, more variety of wind turbine blades could be expected as people keep experimenting. Even today, we could see numerous blade designs that some of them seem unique. In experimental level, there are blades in unique shape that arranged like kite. In the other experiment, the wind turbine is not rotating but vibrating with another different blade design. With the goal is better blade that could extract optimum energy with high efficiency and more affordable, the future wind turbine blade design could be something we never imagine.
