Wind power has been an exciting source of renewable energy for decades.
Now, German engineers have created a lightweight rotor that is incredibly efficient, bringing the world closer to at-home wind power generation, New Atlas reported.
The new wind turbines were the result of a collaboration between researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research and the construction and engineering firm BBF Group. While most wind turbine blades are filled with foam, their design is hollow.
Because they are lighter than other commercially available designs, they can start turning in wind speeds that are much weaker. Similar turbines need speeds of about 13 feet per second, while the Fraunhofer and BBF Group design can function with wind speeds of 8.9 feet per second, according to New Atlas.
The turbine's strength comes from a laminate structure developed through the fusion of 3D printed molds and composite fiber strips that are placed in the molds with precision down to the millimeter.
"We designed the individual layers of the composite material so that the rotor blades can flex elastically in a storm and turn out of the wind," Marcello Ambrosio of the Fraunhofer Institute told New Atlas.
Wind is important because it is a renewable power source that can help us reduce our reliance on dirty energy like coal and oil.
According to American Clean Power, wind energy is the fourth largest energy source in the United States, with enough energy generated from wind to power 46 million homes.
Offshore wind farms constitute a major piece of the wind energy landscape. These often large projects can supply large amounts of power, such as the Empire Wind project off the coast of New York, which could power half a million homes by 2027.
Opponents of wind energy cite a variety of concerns ranging from noise to safety, but a 2022 NPR article explains that many of these concerns are problems of misinformation rather than problems with the wind turbines.
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Hilltops ⛰️ Overall, wind energy can be a powerful tool in worldwide efforts to reduce the heat-trapping pollution that is contributing to increasing temperatures around the globe.
The group is now testing prototypes, which can be installed in home settings. They reach a maximum height of around 33 feet.
The BBF Group's managing director, Raúl Comesaña Macias, said, "Efficient small wind turbines make an important contribution to an independent energy supply," noting that this project is an example of "how end consumers and businesses can design decentralized energy generation individually and sustainably."
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