General Electric is working on a new wind turbine blade design that uses fabric instead of fiberglass to reduce construction and assembly costs. The three-year project was recently awarded $5.6m in funding support from the US Department of Energy. Also participating are Virginia Tech and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The new design would use architectural fabric wrapped around a metal spaceframe and tensioned around ribs that would extend down the length of the blade. GE reportedly believes the new design could reduce blade costs 25% to 40%, making wind energy more cost-competitive with fossil fuels. Read more
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