SBIR-STTR Award

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will determine the technical and economic feasibility of developing residential-scale, variable-speed wind turbines with aeroelastic, thermoplastic composite blades to achieve two key design objectives: improved energy capture in low to medium winds and rotor speed regulation in high winds. In Phase I, a thermoplastic composite will be developed with biased glass or carbon fibers for optimum coupling coefficient, and cost analysis will determine if meeting both design objectives is feasible for Phase II prototype development. Wind energy is the fastest growing power source worldwide, and critical problems with fossil fuel depletion and carbon emissions will likely accelerate this trend. Although utility-scale wind farms have the leading role, the American Wind Energy Association predicts that 3% of US power needs could be provided by small wind turbines (defined as 100 kW or less) by 2020. The proposed work provides opportunities for individuals with suitable land and wind resources to contribute to the nation's energy security, as well as economically meet power requirements for homes, farms, and small businesses

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project seeks to prototype/validate a novel, self-regulating blade for a 3-kW Residential Wind Turbine (RWT). Successful development of this next-generation blade will eliminate major technical/economic drawbacks and reliability issues with current RWT's, and will promote widespread national and international commercial deployment of wind turbines. This project will demonstrate the following: 1) low-cost, durable, impact-resistant, mass-producible (and recyclable) blades; 2) self-regulation in high-winds and load mitigation in turbulence (allowing for reduced blade mass and cost); and 3) a simpler, more-reliable downwind turbine, for which the blades themselves protect the RWT in high winds and the cost and complexity of the tail and furling mechanism are eliminated. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project enables the nation to meet or exceed ambitious industry projections, which state that 3% of U.S. electricity could be supplied by RWT's operated by a significant share of the 15 million households that have suitable land/wind resources. The timing for the breakthroughs being pursued by this project is ideal, as incentives similar to those offered for residential solar installations are being offered for RWTs. By substantially reducing the final market barriers of high cost and low reliability, this project will have a significant market advantage and will produce a next-generation wind-power technology that will allow individual households to make significant contributions to national energy independence and security