As the world moves towards a more sustainable way of life, Ireland must invest significantly in creating a carbon-free energy system. Currently, the largest source of renewable energy globally is wind and Ireland has an installed capacity of wind energy of 4,137MW, where 17% of wind turbines will reach their end-of-life by 2030. If solutions to extend turbine life are not found, 700MW of capacity will be decommissioned.
To this end, the REBLADE project aims to develop advanced technologies to retrofit ageing turbines through re-blading with new highly efficient and resilient blades. It extends the working life of the turbines while reducing their weight and increasing their efficiency and power production. To achieve this, the project design, manufacture, and mechanically test the new wind blades, which are suitable for installation in Irish wind farms to extend the life of the turbine. This extensive research programme will demonstrate the performance of the novel wind blade technology developed, which will be performed by a collaboration between blade manufacturer, ÉireComposites, and design/testing facility, University of Galway.
Dr Yadong Jiang is a Lecturer in Civil Engineering at University of Galway. His area of expertise is in advanced solutions for renewable energy conversion devices. He is has secured over €1 million in funding from various sources, including SEAI and SFI, to accelerate the development of composite wind/tidal turbine blades.