Making Blade
Different Wind Turbine Blade Designs
For hundreds of years now, people have been using wind turbines to harness the wind for power generation purposes. Since they were first introduced, designs for wind generators have steadily improved, particularly when it comes to the way the blades that spin the turbines’ rotors have been built. Today’s smaller, quieter wind turbines, which generate much more power from much less wind, are the end result of these advancements.
On early wind turbines, the blades were usually based on mats made of reeds. This style of turbine blade, for all its usefulness, wasn’t very durable. They’d have to be replaced often, especially when they were exposed to high winds.
The next step in the evolution of wind turbine blades was the cloth sail. Thanks to this blade design, early windmills were able to harness wind power effectively for processing grain.
Later, horizontal axis wind turbines became the norm, often using wooden blades. The impetus for the new style of turbine was the design of airplane blades, which had recently made important breakthroughs. The key advantage of wooden blades over earlier types was that they could be both lighter and stronger, and thus they were much more appropriate for generating energy in all conditions.
These improvements allowed turbines to be used for the purpose of generating electricity. The first wind turbines of this type were relatively small in size, but it wasn’t long before they were enlarged and used in commerical settings.
At this time, the difference between horizontal axis turbine blades and vertical axis ones became that much more distinct. With regard to horizontal axis blade design, the majority of the changes would manifest themselves as adjustments in blade shape and pitch, materials, and the number of blades used per rotor.
Thanks to their strong balance of stability and rotor speed, 3-blade designs came to be the the most common style for horizontal axis wind turbines. Modern turbines feature composite blades, which are both lightweight and durable. Wind turbines with these blades can not only spin at higher speeds, but can also generate power from low-speed winds, unlike older models.
Also, vertical axis wind turbines have seen a number of advancements which have made them appropriate for a wide variety of applications. These designs usually take advantage of either wind drag or wind lift in ingenious ways in order to provide significant amounts of rotation.
The most popular advantage of vertical axis wind turbine designs is their capacity to generate power regardless of wind direction. Horizontal axis turbines don’t provide quite the same consistency of power generation. Their ability to produce power at lower elevation makes vertical axis turbines especially appropriate for residential use.
For info about the benefits and drawbacks of wind power, go to Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Power.
For the best guide to building your own wind turbines complete with step-by-step videos, For a step-by-step guide on building your wind turbines, check out Best DIY Solar and Wind Guides.
For another guide to building your own wind turbine, go to Homemade Wind Turbine.
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