The DOE wants to mistreat up its wind vim game in a big way of life . And I mean braggart . Sandia National Laboratories has been task with the challenge of designing an offshore wind turbine that can spin out 50 megawatt of C - free succus — using 650 foot leaf blade that rein in the fiercest winds on Earth .
Take a indorsement to examine and picture that . 650 feet is just shy of two football airfield . It ’s a hundred feet higher than the Washington Monument . And it ’s about five times longer than the rotor coil blade of most seaward fart turbines today , which bring about big businessman in the 1 - 2 megawatt grasp . ( Japan is presently a leader in massive seaward wind structure , with a 7 megawattbeast of a turbinethat sports 270 foot - prospicient blades . )
It sounds damn challenging , but if we want to start bring forth confidential information get-up-and-go at scale , we need to dream big .
And nobody ’s better outfit to take on the challenge than Sandia , where engineers have already flesh out intent for a 13 megawatt turbine featuring 328 metrical unit - long blade . The newfangled “ exascale ” turbine would basically be a bigger version of that model , which include bio - inspired blueprint elements train at channeling the world ’s most herculean winds .
Concept for the Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor , a 50 MW wind turbine featuring 650 foot prospicient blade that can channel the power of hurricanes , via Sandia
For one , the turbine would resist on a lightweight , segmented torso that bend in the breeze without bust . The blade will also be segmented , allowing them to fold in at high-pitched steer speeds to minimize the risk of infection of scathe . On calmer days , the turbine would winnow out to its jaw - dropping , 1300 - foot duo in rescript to maximise energy production .
The entire system is similar to a palm tree diagram , which , by shuttering up and facing the malarky during hurricanes , can resist blow of up to 200 miles per hour . Today , regions of the macrocosm that experience grievous storm — and the strongest , most energy - rich confidential information — are severe for turbine .
The concept is still in its blueprint phase , so do n’t expect to see titanic seaward turbines next yr . But this could be an of import part of our farsighted - full term strategy of advance the nation ’s renewable energy output and weaning ourselves off fossil fuels . And aboveboard , who would n’t want their future energy strategy to involve megastructures able of impart the power of hurricane ?
[ Sandia ]
Top image via Flickr
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