As the penury for more renewable energy becomes more and more pressing , engineers around the world face the challenge of design new engineering science capable of generate power with majuscule efficiency and at down toll . Among those attempting to tackle this project is Albuquerque - found Sandia National Laboratories , which has recently released details of its latest designing concept : an extreme - scale seaward wind turbine capable of beget 50megawattsof major power , featuring rotor coil blades value more than 200 time ( 650 feet ) in length .
dub the Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor ( SUMR ) , the newturbinesare design to be capable to hold up utmost winds experienced during hurricane or other spectacular weather events , with the capacitance to close down up for avoid being damaged when gale become too substantial . The design is also exalt by the mode in which thenar trees move in storms , with trunks made of cylindric section that let the structure to stoop without compromising strength or stability .
At present tense , the declamatory wind turbines in the U.S. are able-bodied to generate 8 megawatts of power , using rotary leaf blade that are 80 meters retentive ( 262 feet ) . Producing larger turbines stage a major challenge , since constructing and maintaining blades is very costly once they are above a sealed size .
However , Sandia claims its new excogitation will provide neat stableness , leading to a reduction in stress or fatigue , thereby reducing maintenance costs and return improved energy yields relative to price .
Manufacturing the blades is also likely to pose a number of major challenges , and current proposals call for build them in installment before assembling them onsite , in fiat to facilitate transportation .
Todd Griffith , who led the project to design the enormous rotor coil leaf blade , explained that how increasing size allows turbine to “ take advantage of economies of scale . ”
“ The U.S. has great offshore idle words Energy Department potential , but seaward installations are expensive , so larger turbines are needed to entrance that energy at an low-priced price , ” he say in astatement .
If deployed , the new turbines could aid the U.S. government reach its target of generating20 percentof its energy from wind instrument by 2030 . Whether they are financially executable , however , remains to be seen .
