A new generation of super-size wind farms could be on its way to a field near you. GeneÂral Electric (GE) is developing wind turbines with blades longer than the tip-to-tip wingspan of a jumbo jet.
In a move likely to dismay activists who view wind farms as a blot on the landscape, the American company has taken the wraps off a project to develop power-generating windmills with blades of 70 metres — longer blades can theoretically generate up to three times as much power, with a potential capacity of up to 6MW a turbine. A large coal-fired power station typically produces around 2 000MW.
Super-size turbines have previously been seen as impractical because of their weight, but GE’s new blades use high-tech carbon composites of the sort used in aircraft engines. This replaces fibreglass, cutting the notional weight of each blade from 25 to 17 tonnes.
The development is part of a campaign by GE to highlight its push towards environmentally friendly products that it has called ‘ecoimaginationâ€.
Lorraine Bolsinger, vice-president of GE’s ecoimagination division, was unapologetic about the aesthetics of giant windmills. ‘You can’t say no to everything,†she said, pointing out that there were also objections to nuclear and water-generated power. ‘The economics of longer wind turbines are going to be pretty compelling. If you can put them in places where they’re not eyesores, it’ll be a win-win situation.â€
The new turbines are under laboratory development at GE’s research headquarters in upstate New York and are four to five years away from going into operation. They are designed to bend in breezy conditions, allowing them to operate in high winds and they are built in two parts, making them cheaper to ship.
There was a hostile reaction this week from campaigners who have fought wind farms on the grounds of their appearance, noise and economic viability. Angela Kelly, chairperson of the British pressure group Country Guardian, described the prospect as an ‘absolute disasterâ€. ‘Imagine the amount of concrete you’d need to put down for the foundations of a turbine of that size,†she said.
Her group argues that wind farms still need back-up from traditional electricity sources and are an expensive form of generation.
GE sees wind turbines as a huge business opportunity. In the US, where they engender relatively little opposition, there are presently 7 500 in operation, a figure forecast to rise to 90 000 by 2025, helping to satisfy demand for power that is set to swell by 17% within a decade.
Once regarded as an archetypal heavy industrial monolith, GE has become an advocate for action on climate change and is pumping increasing sums into green technology. Among its other projects are household water desalination devices, low-cost solar panels and an elaborate form of ‘intelligent†domestic electricity meter. Called an ‘eco-dashboardâ€, the meter gives homeowners detailed, up-to-the-minute information about the amount they can save by turning off individual appliances or lowering the temperature on their thermostats. —