Designing cost-effective high-performance residential wind turbines for remote Canadian communities

风力发电是一种可持续的可再生能源，具有许多好处，包括对环境的低影响和在偏远地区提供电力的能力，这可以大大减少对燃料的依赖。加拿大风力发电增长的一个关键领域是国内小型风力涡轮机行业，特别是在偏远的北部居民区，那里获得负担得起的可再生能源的机会有限。这一领域在加拿大发展的一个关键挑战是与小型风力涡轮机基础设施相关的启动成本，包括复杂的气动叶片。博鲁姆能源解决方案公司(BES)是一家位于安大略省滑铁卢的小型企业，设计、制造和组装针对加拿大北部偏远社区的小型国内1.2千瓦风力涡轮机。目前，BES使用昂贵的碳纤维环氧基材料制造风力涡轮机叶片，这是不可持续的。挑战是找到一种具有类似特性的替代材料，具有成本效益。这项拟议的研究旨在调查通过使用一种新兴的高性能纤维增强复合材料，将Bess风力涡轮机叶片的成本降低30%的潜力。该项目涉及两个主要部分：(1)确定候选材料的性能，并对照基准材料进行评估；(2)进行研究，以开发有效的制造方法。材料性能数据将是北京宇航系统设计新型风力机叶片的关键，而开发的制造方法将导致可行的部件生产。该研究项目旨在满足小型风力涡轮机行业的关键需求，并将使BES能够更快地部署新产品。这项研究对加拿大的好处包括为偏远的居民区提供负担得起的可再生能源，同时还减少了对环境的影响。

Wind power is a sustainable source of renewable energy with many benefits, including low environmental impact and the ability to provide electricity in remote locations, which can lead to greatly reduced fuel dependence. A key area of growth for wind power in Canada is in the small domestic wind turbine sector, particularly for remote northern residential communities where access to affordable renewable energy is limited. A key challenge for growth of this sector in Canada is the startup costs associated with small wind turbine infrastructure, including the complex aerodynamic blades. Borrum Energy Solutions Inc. (BES), a small enterprise located in Waterloo Ontario, designs, manufactures and assembles small domestic 1.2 kW wind turbines targeted for remote northern Canadian communities. Currently BES fabricates their wind turbine blades using costly carbon fiber epoxy-based materials which is not sustainable. The challenge is to find an alternative cost-effective replacement material with similar characteristics. The proposed research aims to investigate the potential for reducing the cost of BESs wind turbine blades by 30% through use of an emerging class of high-performance fiber-reinforced composite materials. The project involves two main components: (i) characterizing the performance of candidate materials and assessing these against a baseline material, and (ii) conducting a study to develop efficient fabrication methods. The material performance data will be crucial for BES to design new wind turbine blades, while the developed fabrication methods will lead to feasible part production. The research project aims to address a critical need in the small wind turbine sector and will allow BES to deploy new products at a faster rate. The benefits of this research to Canada include providing affordable renewable energy to remote residential communities, while also reducing environmental impact.