EXPERTISE

HPC-Blade:unlocking a step change in wind turbine blade technology

WHY?

  • Wind turbine blades need to be cheaper, more efficient, reliable and modular
  • Technology limitations for very large blades need to be overcome including transportability

HOW?

By facilitating disruptive technology shifts:

  • Structurally: from “spar/core” to “ribbed/stressed skin”
  • Modularity and assembly wise: inner reference tube
  • Elimination of composite to metal fasteners or bonded joints
The HPC-Blade design has been developed from expertise held within Jigsaw Structures Ltd - structural analysis specialists within the aerospace industry. We are seeking investors and partners to exploit the small to medium wind turbine blade market, and to collaborate in the product development of the HPC-Blade to profit from large off-shore opportunities.

KEY BENEFITS

piggy

Lower costs and faster manufacture

feather

Lighter and more reliable

growth

Scalable and modular design (transportability)

hammer

Retrofittable thanks to its unique hub adaptation

windmill

Wind farm service life extensions

Tomorrow’s wind turbine blades will need to be more efficient and reliable whilst offering manufacturing cost savings. Moreover current technology limitations for very large blades need to be overcome by a step change in design concept. Although substantial advances have been made in materials, aerodynamics and manufacturing of composites, the basic structural design of wind turbine blades has seen little evolution with central spar-like structures and bonded cores remaining the primary load-bearing and profile supporting elements.

Aside from structural inefficiencies, these configurations result in complex and expensive manufacturing and root-hub connection processes. The HPC-Blade provides the disruptive technological shifts required to meet these design and manufacturing challenges. The HPC-Blade facilitates the progression from a spar and core configuration to a rib-based fully stressed blade skin and the implementation of an improved root-hub adaptation solution. HPC-Blade reduces overall blade weight, overcomes the current composite-metal joint limitations, and opens up significant opportunities for both the retrofit market and the exploitation of large blades development

HPC-Blade not only presents opportunities for more efficient wind energy extraction but also offers cost reductions and service life extension for the associated towers and support structure.