NIST Mathematician Cracks Code to Improve Wind Turbine Design
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NIST researcher Zach Grey is using complex math to design better wind turbine blades to maximize power generation.
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Grey has developed a new geometric method to describe airfoil shapes using just 4 parameters instead of 100-200, making design optimization easier.
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This method has been used by NREL to generate new turbine designs predicted to reduce energy costs by 1%, saving billions over time.
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The same geometric techniques can be applied to improve other aspects like offshore platforms and materials for turbine manufacturing.
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Solving wind turbine design and measurement problems has big implications for providing clean, renewable energy to support growing future demand.