Volume down, production up: Making wind work harder

Harnessing the power of the wind is not pollution-free. Noise is one of the main complaints for onshore turbines. At this windfarm near the Spanish city of Burgos technicians are installing a new device which aims to turn down the volume. It could have a major impact on the wind energy market as more companies seek to build turbines onshore near to urban areas, where restrictions on noise are much stricter.

Also, wind turbine noise can come at a cost to efficiency, so developing new technology could mean producing more energy, whilst emitting less sound.

Fernando Garcia Ayerra, Windtrust Technical Coordinator explains how it works.

“The device is made up of a series of serrated teeth, and its specific design enables the impact of the wind on the trailing edge of the blade to be broken. This subsequently lowers the overall noise of the turbine. At the moment we are carrying out tests on a wind generator 78 metres high with a rotor diameter of 90 metres.”

The device which would