Wind firms look to supersize turbines

In a difficult investment climate for the wind sector, technological developments aimed at generating more power from turbines and reducing costs are increasingly important

THE BIG challenges for turbine manufacturers are improving reliability, cutting costs and enhancing energy output, says Walt Musial, principal engineer for ocean renewable energy at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. There are a number of ways to achieve these objectives, such as improving the pitch system, which enables blades to catch the wind better, or using stronger and cheaper materials. Increasing the size of turbines, in an effort to produce economies of scale, is another area of interest. The largest turbines in widespread use, both onshore and offshore are 2.5-3.0 megawatt (MW) machines, although 5 MW turbines – REPower's prototype of which made its debut in G