This New Turbine Blade Shape Can Significantly Reduce Wind Energy Cost

Researchers from Stanford University claim that the entire world has good chances to be powered by renewable energy by 2050.

Although this is not an empty claim, the push for renewables still needs engineering innovation to continue at a rapid pace.

According to Interesting Engineering, a new wind turbine blade concept is being developed by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

This innovative design is called SmartTip and has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of wind energy.

“For the project, novel blade tips were designed through "multi-fidelity surrogate aeroelastic model-based optimization," the researchers say. These tests showed a potential load neutral Annual Energy Production increase of 4-6%. The researchers say their findings will support novel blade design business cases with potential increased export revenue in Denmark.

Great for Denmark's economy, but more importantly, SmartTip design could displace millions of tons of CO2 each year.

The innovative wind blade shape project started in 2017 to enter its final stage last year.

The Researchers at DTU found that by increasing the existing rotor size, more energy could be produced, at the same time mitigating negative loads on the blade tips.