US researchers have calculated that manufacturing massive turbine blades 100 metres (328 feet) or longer that can bend with “controlled flexing” would make it possible for railroads to transport them at lower cost to build-out higher-capacity onshore wind plants across the country.
“This research can aid in massive deployment of wind energy in different regions of the country,” said Nick Johnson, a mechanical engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and co-lead of the US Department of Energy’s Big Adaptive Rotor (BAR) project.
