EVEN BETTER WIND

Making wind turbines smarter
Larry Rulison, January 28, 2011 (Albany Times Union)

"…[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute] associate professor Miki Amitay and his assistants are trying to build a smarter wind turbine…The research, into small synthetic jets that are built into wind turbine blades, recently won Amitay a $250,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority…

"The synthetic jets are small electronic devices built into the wind turbine blades to produce puffs of air. Using sensors, the jets can detect how air is flowing around the turbine blade and how much vibration there is and release the puffs to alter the flow of air around the blade, making it work more efficiently."

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"Amitay and his team of 10 graduate students and 15 undergrads believe that the jets allow the turbine blades [to be smarter and] to last longer and produce more energy by being more aerodynamic and less prone to vibrations…

"Amitay says the technology began as a solution to make better airplane wings and has attracted a lot of attention from the aerospace industry and defense contractors. General Electric Co., a major manufacturer of wind turbines, is also interested in the technology. Amitay was…awarded a $100,000 NYSERDA grant for the project three years ago…[ a $100,000 grant last year]…from the National Science Foundation…[and $220,000 from] the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation…"

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"He and his students fill the wind tunnel with smoke and use lasers to examine how air flows over the wind turbine blades…With the jets, the air flow hugs the wind turbine more tightly, making for a more efficient windmill. The need to preserve wind turbine blades becomes even more important as larger wind turbines are built, including offshore machines.

"Amitay won't say when GE and others plan to incorporate the technology, but he says it isn't far off from becoming a reality…"