How It Works: The Next-Gen Wind Turbine

[SoCalDem]

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/next-gen-wind-turbine


How It Works: The Next-Gen Wind Turbine

To take advantage of the strong winds that blow over the ocean, this gearless turbine uses a giant ring of magnets and 176-foot blades
By Rena Marie Pacella
Next-Gen Wind Turbine GE OFFSHORE TURBINE Rotor Diameter:360 ft. Tower Height: 300 ft. Maximum Power: 4 Megawatts | See It Bigger Here Nick Kaloterakis

There’s enough wind energy along our coastlines to power the country four times over, and the race is on to build the best offshore turbines to capture it. Manufacturers worldwide are experimenting with two techniques: ever-longer blades to harness more gusts, and simplified drivetrains (including new generators) that slash the need for costly repairs at sea. GE’s upcoming machine, slated to go online in 2012, will combine both into one package.

A Twist on Blades: The longer a turbine’s blades, the more wind it captures and the more electricity it creates. “If we could, we would just build infinitely longer blades,” Mercer says. “The problem is, blades get heavy and flexible.” That flexibility, coupled with the force from very high winds, can bend blades so much that they burden the machine or even smack the tower. So GE designed a blade that twists as it bends. It’s curved backward about eight feet, instead of extending straight out. When a gust pushes the tip up, the blade twists slightly around its curve—instantly angling itself so that it bears less of the gust’s brunt yet still captures a large part of its energy. Nick Kaloterakis

GE created lightweight 176-foot blades—about 40 percent longer than the average—with a more aerodynamic shape. The blades will attach to a drivetrain that does away with many of the moving parts, including the gearbox, that are prone to breakage and energy loss. A direct-drive mechanism replaces gears, and permanent magnets replace the electromagnets that require starter brushes, coils and power from the grid every time they fire up.

The blades are now being tested in the Netherlands, and the drivetrain in Norway. Combining the two should result in a turbine that captures 25 percent more wind power than conventional models, so it can operate more often at its full four-megawatt potential—enough to power 1,000 homes.

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[dmosh42]

1. And none of it designed and built in the USA? n/t

[blogslut]

3. The design is GE's

I'm pretty sure they're still an American company.

[Captain Hilts]

4. Yes, they are. nt

[damyank913]

2. This is better, but there's a long way to go...

25% improvement in efficiency. What's the efficiency now? 25% maybe?

[Lucian]

5. Why aren't these things all over North Dakota and Eastern SD???

Or littered across the Midwest?

[SoCalDem]

6. They should be... Western Kansas & Eastern Colorado are VERY windy

these things should be a "cash-crop" for all those land-owners out there:)

[Posteritatis]

7. NIMBYs. (nt)

[earth mom]

8. So glad to see this instead of b.s. propaganda about Nuclear and Coal. nt