Structural Design of a 5 MW Wind Turbine Blade Equipped with Boundary Layer Suction Technology: Analysis and lay-up optimisation applying a promising technology

Wind energy is a promising developing energy source. Modern wind power industry officially started in 1979 in Denmark with a turbine of few kW, and its evolution brought up to now devices of which rated power is higher than 5 MW. The size of wind turbines massively increased, and their design achieved a common standard device: horizontal axis, three blades, upwind, pitch controlled blades, active yaw system. Higher hub height and larger rotor diameter lead to increased energy output, but mass growth is an unwanted side effect. With the actual technology, maximum rotor sizes look achieved, beyond that is hard to increase the diameter without increasing the energy price. In the past few years studies have been undertaken in order to come up with innovative solutions, leading to increased sizes or performances.Aerospace EngineeringSustainable Energy Technolog