Patent ID: 11105317

Abstract:
A 3 megawatt wind turbine generator having a rotor configured to efficiently extract power from low to moderate winds having an average speed of between about 7.5 and 8.5 meters/second is provided. The rotor includes three aerodynamic blades having an aspect ratio of 15 mounted on a modular hub. The relatively shorter and wider aerodynamic blades result in a rotor having a specific power of about 0.27, a specific power rating of about 260 watts/m2, and a solidity of about 6%. The modular hub is formed from three interconnected hub sections, each of which formed from a single plate of spring steel bent along its sides into a modular shape. The bends in the plates forming the hub sections act like corrugations that more strongly resist the larger stresses applied to the hub as a result of the relatively shorter and wider aspect of the aerodynamic blades.