Wind turbine in wind tunnel: Aerodynamics and beyond

Wind turbine in wind tunnel: Aerodynamics and beyond

Due to the intrinsic nature of the wind, which is irremediably unpredictable and uncontrollable, testing new wind energy technologies in a real environment is a hard – if not impossible – task. On the other hand, wind tunnel experimentation makes it possible to evaluate innovative solutions in controlled and fully replicable conditions. Inspired by this idea, this four-year project was dedicated to designing, manufacturing and testing the first aeroservoelastically scaled wind turbine model, able to replicate also the structural and control features of a real 90-meter diameter wind turbine, allowing one to test beyond the sole domain of aerodynamics.