Overview
WindStrand™ Reinforcements are the first application of Owens Corning new High-Performance Reinforcements product platform. WindStrand™ Reinforcements are a breakthrough high performance fiber reinforcement that enables wind turbine manufacturers to optimize system design to help deliver a lower cost per kilowatt-hour.”
Practical Benefits of WindStrand™ Reinforcements
- Up to 10% reduction in blade weight (mainly Spar Caps) with up to 6% longer blade length yields more power at a cost less than traditional carbon fiber solutions.
- Stronger blades for higher wind speeds
- Enables a reduction of static moment (weight distance from hub to blade center of gravity)
- Ultimately resulting in a lower cost per kilowatt hour
To see how WindStrand™ affects the wind energy industry, scroll through the graphs and charts below.
Typical Blade Cross-Section
Wind Turbine Size Evolution
Technological progress has enabled larger and more powerful wind turbines. With blades now larger than the wing span of commercial aircraft, who knows what the future of wind energy will bring!
Wind Turbine Size Evolution, cont.
Depending on the roughness of the terrain, the total capacity of a line cluster is more than proportional to the size of the rotor. This is one reason to install wind turbines as large as possible.
Source of graphics: Jos Beurskens, ECN
Power Curve for a Typical 3 MW Turbine
Longer blades mean more energy with the same wind speed.
Triaxial Epoxy laminates R=0.1 Dynamic Fatigue
WindStrand™ allows for up to 25% better fatigue strength over traditional Advantex® epoxy laminates.
