The Energy Technologies Institute in the United Kingdom has announced that UK-based wind turbine blade manufacturer Blade Dynamics has been awarded a contract that will see the creation of the world's longest turbine blades, between 80 and 100 meters (262 and 328 feet) in length. Currently, the longest turbine blades are for offshore wind farms, maxing out at 75 meters (246 feet).
Unlike current mega-blades, Blade Dynamics will make its blades from carbon fiber rather than fiberglass, making them up to 40 percent lighter. These will be assembled from smaller components, which can be manufactured more cheaply and accurately than molding single-piece blades.
Current 75-meter blades are fitted to wind turbines with a capacity of up to 6 MW. With the new blades, the Energy Technologies Institute is aiming for a peak of 8 to 10 MW per turbine. The company claims that blades longer than 100 meters are perfectly viable for offshore purposes, and could offer 20 years of reliable performance. It says that the larger turbines enabled by the greater rotor size enable the generation of wind energy at lower cost.
After a period of prototyping, the blades should enter full production towards the end of 2014.
Sources: Energy Technologies Institute, Blade Dynamics via Reinforced Plastics
But the boo-ers have shut up. There are two hundred thousand wind energy jobs in Europe today, four hundred thousand expected by 2020.
The same can be done for energy storage. My money is on synthetic methane, made from wind, solar, and whatever else comes our way. Put my tax money right in there. Get it hatched, and then let companies take over. Steer the market instead of thinking it is "God" and will do the right thing on its own. No more free market fairy tales...
What has the 200,000 wind power jobs cost the European customer in terms of price of their electric power? How many jobs of a different kind were lost due to the increase in power cost and the increase in taxes for the subsidies? If after decades of such subsidies, the economics are now clearly in favor of wind, why are govts all over the world now ending or lowering the subsidies/mandates in response to economic pressures and wind companies all cutting production and jobs...including Siemans, GE and others?