Advancing Wind Power

GE is looking into several technologies that would advance wind energy in two ways: efficiency and reliability. GE is looking at using carbon composites, instead of fiber glass, as a material for wind turbine blades. GE is also looking at using different shaped blades in order to catch more wind, which will could allow the blades to rotate at slower wind speeds. Using carbon composites will give the blades increased strength which will allow the blades to operate at faster wind speeds as well as the ability to generate more energy. With the combination of longer blades, increased strength and different blade designs, GE hopes to increase the amount of energy generated from turbines without having to significantly increasing the size of the turbines. Increasing the size of the turbines means more raw materials, like steel, which also means more cost to GE and to their customers. GE hopes to keep costs down as much as possible while still increasing energy production from a wind turbine, this is important in order to keep wind energy an important, cost effective alternative energy source.

One of the biggest downfalls to wind energy, like solar, is the lack of consistency that can occur. Because wind turbines require the wind to create energy, if the wind is not blowing very hard or at all you are looking at less or no energy being produced. This can create disturbances in the power grid and power outages in areas of the country. Typically natural gas plants are used as backup power because natural gas plants can begin producing electricity relatively quickly and inexpensively when compared to other power plants, like coal. Due to the inconsistencies that can occur in wind power generation some are against wind power, while others have embraced wind as a viable energy producer. Supporters of wind acknowledge that it is not a perfect energy source, no energy source is flawless. Instead of giving up on wind energy they are developing methods that can be used to help improve the consistency of wind. GE is researching smart turbines and looking at ways to help develop a smart power grid to help alleviate this problem. GE hopes to you use software to find the best placement of wind farms and placement of turbines within a wind farm. GE is also looking into electronic control devices that would feed the power grid more efficiently and effectively. GE believes that if they can improve the turbines and the delivery of the power into the grid that many consistency problems can be largely improved. Others are looking at ways to store excess energy that can be used during times of limited wind or high energy demand. Companies like Energy Storage and Power are developing compressed air energy storage solutions. Basically a simplistic explanation of a compressed air energy storage is this: excess energy from the grid would be used to compress air that is stored in a storage tank. When the power grid is asking for more power than what is being produced the compressed air would be released from the the storage tanks and used to create energy. Now naturally there is some energy loss during the conversions but some of this excess energy is wasted anyways so at least this is a way to harness it at a later time.