Wind turbine

The waters surrounding the UK have long played home to some of the world's most ambitious renewable energy projects, and they are set to welcome another with construction now underway at Dogger Bank, the world's largest off-shore wind farm to be.

​While we've already seen that large-scale wind turbine blades which are shaped like humpback whale fins can be more efficient, what works for big turbines doesn't necessarily work for little ones. In fact, a new study suggests that for small-scale units, copying seagull wings may be the way to go.

​According to a US Geological Survey estimate, anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of bats are killed by wind turbines annually – in the US alone. New technology may help reduce those numbers, however, by causing the turbine blades to whistle at the animals.

​While some people might say that electronic devices have no business being on camping trips, the fact is that items such as LED lanterns, GPS units, two-way radios and cameras all have batteries that need charging. The Giga is designed to meet that need, using the power of the wind.

Although wind turbines may be a valuable source of eco-friendly energy, they do have at least one drawback – bats are frequently killed by their spinning blades. A promising new system is designed to help keep that from happening, however, by producing an ultrasonic acoustic field.

The O-Wind Turbine has taken out the UK£30,000 (US$39,000) first prize in this year's James Dyson Awards. This crooked, vented spherical device is designed to hang from skyscraper balconies and generate electricity in the chaotic wind conditions of a high-rise metropolis.

​Last month, GE unveiled its plan to build the world's largest, most powerful offshore wind turbine, known as the Haliade-X. This Tuesday, it was announced that the rig will be tested and developed over the next five years, at the UK’s Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult research center.

​​It's a shame when any bird is killed by colliding with the blades of a wind turbine, but it's particularly sad when that bird is a protected species. With that in mind, scientists are developing technology that could deter eagles away from turbines, and detect when they hit the blades.​

​Although wind turbines may seem like the epitome of "green" energy, scientists from Vanderbilt University are working on making them even greener. They're looking at a resin that could save energy when turbine blades are being created, and that might make those blades more recyclable.

Max Bögl Wind has announced the construction of the world's tallest turbine in Gaildorf, near Stuttgart in Germany. The tri-blade monster has a hub height of 178 meters (584 ft), with a total height from ground to tip of the blade of 264.5 m.

Windlab has announced that construction will soon start on a combined wind, solar and battery storage facility in north Queensland, Australia. Kennedy Phase I is reported to be the world’s first utility-scale, on-grid wind, solar and battery energy storage project.

Offshore wind farms can tap into the higher average wind speeds over the ocean, but can only be built in relatively shallow water. Floating turbines can help harvest wind energy from above deeper waters, and now the world’s first floating wind farm has just fired up off the coast of Scotland.