Shark Skin Varnish for Wind Turbines

Wind Industry Profile of

Wind power is an important element to achieve sustainability in energy supply. Within the EU project "Riblet4Wind", a team of seven project partners faced the challenge of making the aerodynamics of wind turbines more efficient.

One approach was to reduce air resistance. In aircraft construction, it was shown that the functional coating developed at Fraunhofer IFAM with microscopically small grooves – called riblet paint – reduces air resistance and saves fuel. The scientists took advantage of this know-how and adapted the technology to the rotor blades of a wind turbine. The tests under real conditions yielded promising results. It seems that sharks glide through the water at high speed without much effort. Microscopically small grooves on their skin help... ... More: Official Press Release Fraunhofer IFAM

Keywords:

shark, skin, wind turbine, research, Fraunhofer IFAM, electricity yield, turbine, project, funding, material, tests, aerodynamics, coating