Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob McGovern
Initial performance reports have been disappointing, tho. SWWP has always put more effort into marketing and sales than into engineering. Output numbers I have seen are about half what you would expect from a grid-tied turbine that diameter. Why the scimitar-shaped blades? No reason I can see. Big commercial turbines have straight blades. You want your leading edge perpendicular to the lift vector; last thing you want is air movement parallel to blade length, detaching laminar flow. I fear it's to make the machine look 'dynamic' and 'new.' Yup -- just found this from their PR: "A visually aesthetic shape played a key role in the design to show that a wind generator is not only a clean source of energy but pleasing to the eye." Bah. Good engineering is pleasing to MY eye. Keep your curved bloody blades.
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I don't think 'a visually aesthetic shape' is the only concern here. A windmill blade performs very much like an airplane's wing - some of the wind hitting the blade will travel laterally down the leading edge to the tip of the blade. As it leaves the tip of the blade it (travelling much faster than the surrounding air) it mixes with the surrounding air creating turbulence and noise. An aerodynamic scimitar shape should slow the air on the leading edge and help reduce noise and turbulence. I couldn't tell you how their design affects the efficiency of the windmill though.
And it looks cool so I'm sure their marketing department loves it.
