École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) researchers have enhanced efficiency as well as durability of vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) by using machine learning. The innovation is learned to have increased the efficiency by 200% in turbine efficiency and a 77% reduction in damaging vibrations. This is being considered as a potential revolution in wind energy technology.
VAWTs have several advantages over traditional horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWTs) with respect to being quieter and requiring less space. It is simultaneously more wildlife-friendly. VAWT has been less used until now due vulnerability to strong gusts of wind that causes structural damage. The damage usually occurs when the angle between the airflow and the blade changes rapidly. This thereafter creates vortices that can impose heavy loads on the turbine structure.
EPFL researchers led by Sébastien Le Fouest from the School of Engineering’s…
