Wind Energy News

Syndicate content Wind Energy News -- ScienceDaily
Updated: 15 hours 14 min ago

Seals forage at offshore wind farms

Mon, 07/21/2014 - 11:38am


Wed, 07/16/2014 - 6:46pm
Fire is the second leading cause of accidents in wind turbines, after blade failure, according to research. Wind farming is one of the leading industries in the renewable energy sector. However, the industry faces a number of challenges, such as opposition by wind farm lobbyists. Today's research suggests that incidents of wind turbines catching fire are a big problem that is not currently being fully reported.


Wed, 06/25/2014 - 12:26pm

New study uses blizzard to measure wind turbine airflow

Tue, 06/24/2014 - 1:24pm


Mon, 06/16/2014 - 8:33am

Sopcawind, a multidisciplinary tool for designing wind farms

Tue, 06/10/2014 - 9:18am

Outdoor lighting using wind-solar hybrid renewable energy sources

Sun, 05/25/2014 - 7:47pm
As an outcome from the continuous hybrid renewable energy research, an innovative outdoor lighting system powered by a shroud-augmented wind turbine and a solar panel was installed in the Kuala Lumpur campus of University of Malaya (UM).

Wind turbine movement can generate lightning

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 8:47am
Under favorable atmospheric conditions any elevated structure can generate upward lightning flashes. Even aircraft can do so —- in fact, height and movement are two of the factors that contribute to this phenomenon. The tips of wind turbine blades move at speeds of several tens of meters per second. However, no one had previously demonstrated the relationship between this movement and the triggering of electrical discharges.

Wind tunnel tests support improved aerodynamic design of B61-12 bomb

Tue, 04/15/2014 - 12:38pm

A bird? A plane? Or both? Bio-inspired unmanned aircraft capable of soaring like birds

Mon, 04/07/2014 - 8:03am
Researchers are developing a bio-inspired unmanned aircraft capable of soaring like birds, boosting energy efficiency and endurance. The research team is aiming to be the first in the world to demonstrate an autonomous unmanned aircraft that can mimic birds by using updrafts around buildings to stay airborne.

Americans using more energy, according to new analysis

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 12:39pm
Americans used more renewable, fossil and even nuclear energy in 2013, according to the most recent energy flow charts. Wind energy continued to grow strongly, increasing 18 percent from 1.36 quadrillion BTUs, or quads, in 2012 to 1.6 quads in 2013. New wind farms continue to come on line with bigger, more efficient turbines. Most new wind turbines can generate 2 to 2.5 megawatts of power.

Understanding the physics of turbulent flows inside turbines

Wed, 04/02/2014 - 8:52am
Researchers are aiming to shed new light into the physics of turbulent flows inside the turbines of aero-engines. The aerodynamics of the turbine blades affects the efficiency of the engine, while the heat transfer from the extremely hot gas to the turbine blades is harmful to the life-span of the turbine. To determine the effects of turbulence and flow unsteadiness on the aerodynamics and the heat transfer from the gas to the metal blade, it is necessary to understand all the temporal and spatial scales in the flow.

Wind energy: New insight into best arrangement of wind turbines on large installations

Tue, 04/01/2014 - 10:19am
Researchers have developed a new way to study wake effects that includes the airflow both within and around a wind farm and challenges the conventional belief that turbines arrayed in checker board patterns produce the highest power output. Their study provides insight into factors that determine the most favorable positioning.