Success has many fathers, goes the old saw. And so it is with the wind industry. There is official history and then there is the sometimes more interesting nonofficial history, you know, real life. First, we present an official version of one genuine pioneer of wind energy and then get to a more interesting anecdote.…
NASA Langley research center focuses on offshore wind innovation
The United States will follow some European practices to plan, construct and maintain its offshore wind projects, but it will not completely copy the European offshore wind industry model, creating opportunities for innovation in all sectors of the supply chain.
CFMS to participate in Hyperflux++ (air flow simulation) Project
The aerodynamic flow is simulated for an aircraft using Hyperflux. It and Hyperflux++ projects are developing high order CFD technology that will make high fidelity simulation at scale affordable across sectors – including renewable energy.
NREL innovation gives electric vehicle batteries a safety upgrade
Nika Durham and Anya Breitenbach / NREL Every day, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are used safely in millions of cell phones, laptops, and electric-drive vehicles (EVs). At the same time, Li-ion batteries have a tendency to overheat in very rare occasions, which has led to electronics product recalls and the grounding of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner airplane…
From NASA to wind turbines: Wireless RFID sensors monitor rotating equipment
Phase IV Engineering has successfully developed wireless, battery-free RFID sensors that were initially designed to improve NASA’s water reclamation on the International Space Station. Now these sensors can also be used for wind turbines. Phase IV’s battery-free passive sensors can be used in predictive maintenance for turbines by keeping tabs on rotating equipment and watching for…
Hypersizer takes 23% weight off NASA heat shield. What could it do for a turbine blade?
At the recent 2014 Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) (previously SAMPE), Collier Research Corporation will demonstrate a key software program used to lightweight the heat shield of NASA’s Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle—HyperSizer. NASA’s Orion team used information gathered from HyperSizer analyses to inform discussions that led to a 23% reduction of the final weight…
NASA inspired fire protection comes to turbine nacelles
A family of fire suppression devices, based on aerosol technology developed in the space program, is manufactured to ISO 9001:2000 standards in the USA. The Stat-X fire suppressant, a patented potassium-based aerosol, works by chemically interfering with free radicals of flame. “It is ecologically safe and without ozone depletion or global-warming potential,” says X-out Fire…
Flying wind turbine: NASA’s answer in the air
In Mark Moore’s world, long nanotubes reach into the clouds, serving at once to tether a turbine-vehicle flying at 2,000 ft, or 10,000 ft, or 30,000 ft (610, 3,050 and 9,150 m); and also to conduct the power that vehicle can harvest from the wind back to Earth.