Increasing rotor size is the easiest way to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). Larger rotors require longer blades, but we have now reached the limits of what can be achieved using traditional methods. Conventional fibreglass blades become too heavy when lengthened, placing enormous loads on the turbine. Moreover, such blades would be extremely difficult and costly to produce and transport, as well as taking a long time to manufacture. These problems far outweigh the potential benefits of making longer fibreglass blades.

The team at ACT Blade have come up with a way around this problem by developing a blade made of textiles and composite materials rather than fibreglass, which leads to a product up to 50% lighter and 30% stiffer than its traditional counterparts. This enables us to produce a much longer blade which can harvest more wind, in turn increasing energy production by 10%.