Better blades for wind turbines

In areas of the Midwest where average wind speeds are about 13 mph at 33 feet, the new wind-turbine blade, developed by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories, could cut the cost of energy by boosting the efficiency, Engineer Live reported.

The turbine was developed in partnership with San Diego-based Knight & Carver. It's called a "sweep twist adaptive rotor" and is the first curved blade produced for commercial-scale turbines.

By targeting areas of low wind speeds, the new blade could increase the amount of land that could be economically developed for wind power.

"This design allows the blade to twist more than traditional designs, thus relieving some of the effects of gusty turbulent wind on blade life," said Tom Ashwill, blade researcher at Sandia. "This then allows us to grow the blade length for the same rotor, providing for increased energy capture of 5-10 percent and yet retaining the same expected fatigue life."

Testing began in January and research will continue, Ashwill said, to further increase efficiency by scaling back the size and weight of the turbines.