Nordex AG

Powerful rotor blades provide better performance even in a light breeze

Rotor blades more than 50 meters long will further increase the performance of wind power plants in regions with little wind. The German manufacturer Nordex recently concluded extensive tests of a new prototype. Competitors such as Siemens Windpower, Enercon and Vestas are also driving development in the field. Larger turbines enable establishing wind farms in significantly more regions, according to General Electric. Plants with a rotor diameter of more than 100 meters could be installed in the more distant future even in high-wind areas or at sea.

Hermann Rochholz, rotor developer at Nordex, sees no technical limits for fiberglass reinforced plastic structures up to 140 meters; with the use of carbon fiber, even larger plants could be built, although the costs would rise explosively. Enercon’s prototype E-126 already has a rotor diameter of 127 meters. Although presently different classes of plants are being built for different wind intensities, within a few years the larger plants will be designed with such stability that they can be used in high-wind areas as well. Rotor diameters above 140 meters, however, involve significantly higher material costs and enormous logistic problems. Alone the ground transport of rotor blades requires special cranes. Rotors with such dimensions must be designed as components for assembly, which makes them no longer economically feasible, according to Rochholz.

Based on estimates by Nordex, by 2020 12% of the world’s energy could be generated by wind power. In addition to larger rotor diameters, technical improvements such as light-weight design will enable higher output capacities. Various manufacturers are pursuing different concepts and already offer systems with a generating capacity of up to 3 MW for low-wind areas. Their rotor blades are continuously being optimized for greater efficiency and reduced noise.

According to a guideline of the European Union, by 2020 20% of the EU’s energy requirements must be met through renewables. Despite the financial crisis, there are undoubtedly prospects for growth in the wind turbine market. Powerful offshore wind farms are being built off the coast of Suffolk (GB) and the northwest German island of Borkum.

Source: Pressetext.at