IEA Wind TCP: Results of IEA Wind TCP Workshop on a Grand Vision for Wind Energy Technology

Abstract

Research advanced erosion-resistant composite materials for use on the leading edge of wind turbine blades Research, development, and scale-up of thermoplastic resin systems to reduce wind turbine blade manufacturing cycle times, reduce blade costs, enable thermal welding of bond lines, increase recyclability, and enable advanced in-field blade repair techniques Research advanced thermoset materials that can be recovered and reused Research metals and other noncomposite materials for development of lightweight, high-strength, and high-stiffness turbine components Grand Challenge 2: Automation Develop comprehensive techno-economic models for automation and a virtual factory (or digital twin of a factory) to understand advantages and disadvantages of targeted automation for both wind turbine blade molding and finishing operations Identify and quantify all cost inputs for wind turbine component manufacturing (e.g., blades, towers) to identify production steps that would benefit from automation Develop automated production methods for the continuous manufacturing of one-piece wind turbine towers for on-site manufacturing Develop advanced design tools to optimize blade and tower design with respect to manufacturing with automation Research and develop automation technology able to locate complex wind turbine blade geometry in space to allow for effective automated finishing operations, such as sanding, drilling, and cutting Develop methods to automate the delivery, placement, and inspection of core material into blade skin molds during the composite laminate skin lay-up Integrate real-time inspection and quality control into automated production steps for wind turbine blades, towers, and other components Develop large-scale, low-cost, high-throughput, high-performance automated additive manufacturing technologies (e.g., 3D printing, automated fiber placement and tape layup, filament winding) for the production of towers, blade skins, blade spars, and other turbine components Develop embedded metrology and out-of-mold indexing technologies Grand Challenge 3: On-Site Manufacturing Develop robust composite materials for use in broad on-site environmental conditions Research the chemistry and processing of in-situ thermoplastic resin systems to enable thermally welded joints in an on-site manufacturing environment Develop targeted wind turbine blade finishing automation techniques designed to reduce the overall footprint of on-site finishing operations and minimize production facility floor space Research additive manufacturing to print wind turbine blade molds and tooling at on-site manufacturing locations IEA Wind TCP Task 11

Grand challenges in the science of wind energy

“…This additional effort sought to sharpen the focus of the wind energy research community and identify critical skills and capabilities from the broader scientific and research community that will be necessary to enable use of wind energy at very high levels. To address this need, a group of international wind power experts came together in a series of IEA Wind Technology Collaboration Programme meetings beginning in October 2017 to explore and articulate innovation pathways and associated research challenges that, if addressed, would position wind energy as a primary supplier of the world's electricity needs at levels of onethird to one-half or even more [see (26) for detailed findings]. These challenges were then synthesized into a set of three grand challenges requiring a comprehensive and integrated research program across many scientific disciplines (27).…”

Wind farm flow control: prospects and challenges

“…A key design lever for value maximization is the ability to constrain the capacity of the wind farm relative to the sum of the capacity of individual assets. This is done by increasing the number of turbines relative to the rated output of the facility (a strategy known as over-planting) (Dykes et al, 2019). This can also be accomplished through hybridization with other generation technologies (such as solar pho-tovoltaics) or by combination with storage technologies .…”

Deep dynamic stall and active aerodynamic modification on a S833 airfoil using pitching trailing edge flap

“…Wind energy, an established renewable source of energy, has evolved over the last several decades to produce a significant share of electricity generation across the world. The success of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT) is due to innovation that has decreased the electricity production cost per kWh (Dykes et al, 2019). It is understood that most wind turbines spend most of the time in a relatively unsteady flow environment caused by many factors, including wind shear, rotor misalignment, and turbulence of the wind resource to name a few (Leishman, 2006;Shipley et al, 1995).…”