Patent ID: 7582977

Claim:
A fluid-flow power generating system, characterized by: a turbine mounted on a structure that is held stationary with reference to a fluid flow; said turbine including a rotor with a root blade, said turbine being positioned on said structure such that said rotor is in alignment with fluid flow direction; said root blade having an airfoil contour defined by a leading edge, a trailing edge, a top surface and a bottom surface; a housing fixedly mounted to one of said top and bottom surfaces of said root blade and located externally thereof; an extender blade supported by said housing and slidably mounted therein; an extension mechanism attached to said extender blade such that said extender blade is variable in length to provide a variable diameter rotor; a rotor control connected to said extender mechanism, which adjusts power capture and loading of said rotor through extension and retraction of said extender blade to increase and decrease the cross-sectional area of fluid flow swept by said rotor; and, an electrical generator connected to said turbine for generating electrical energy.