SmartBlades2 Project: German Rotor Blades to Be Tested in U.S. Research Facility

The rotor blades, which were designed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems (IWES) and built by the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), have been successfully installed in the United States at the Department of Energy's National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Among others, the field campaign aims to clarify how well the rotor blades – designed with bend-twist coupling – are able to effectively dampen peak loads during strongly variable wind speeds. The results will serve as a basis for the further development of smart rotor blades. The SmartBlades2 project is based on a partnership between research facilities and industry and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

The partners of the BMWi-funded SmartBlades2 project are hoping that the measurement campaign will yield meaningful findings on the behavior of the new rotor blades.

To read the whole press release, head over to the website of the Fraunhofer IWES.