Existing wind turbine designs are limited in size, which limits the power they can produce, but a new palm tree-inspired approach could help scale up.
technology
January 6, 2023
Analysis of a small prototype (left) suggests that new wind turbine designs can be scaled up Chris Chin (Washington State University)
Taller than most skyscrapers and with blades that bend like palm trees, wind turbines can generate 50 megawatts (MW) of power, according to an analysis of a scaled-down prototype. This is enough to power approximately 15,000 US homes.
The largest wind turbine in existence is about 300 meters high, more than twice the height of the London Eye, and can generate 15MW of electricity. Bigger turbines produce more power, lowering the overall…
