The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced it had selected two organisations to receive USD 1.8 million (EUR 1.6m) in funding for the development of larger wind turbine blades.
The two research and development projects will address the challenges of manufacturing, transporting, assembling, and installing rotor blades longer than 60 metres using design concepts scalable to greater lengths.
On one side, Wetzel Engineering, Inc., in partnership with the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Northern Power Systems, TPI Composites, and NextEra, will develop a field-assembled blade called “SparBlade”. Using a lightweight bonded composite space frame, the 62–74 metres blade is intended for operation on multi-megawatt wind turbines and tall towers.
On the other side, General Electric (GE), in partnership with NREL and TPI Composites, will design a jointed blade for onsite assembly to reduce transportation logistical constraints while meeting structural requirements for next-generation turbines. GE will gather input and engage industry to facilitate technology transfer as jointed blades are introduced in the United States.
The new technology is expected to create a higher performance, lower weight, and lower cost wind turbine blade with significantly reduced transportation costs.
