Technology Inspired by Large Seabirds Leads to Increased Lift at Low Wind SpeedSince early 2019, the Albatrozz consortium has been active in the application of a principle that mimicks the landing behaviour of the albatross to increase the energy production of wind turbines especially at low wind speeds. Years of academic research have led to a patent and subsequently to governmental stimulation funding, and now the consortium is almost ready to do full-scale testing on a Vestas V52 wind turbine. This article describes the background story including technical details, plans and outlook.
By Eize J. Stamhuis, Albatrozz, the Netherlands