The shape of wings to come

摘要

The outline of a wind turbine - tall pylon, three large feather-shaped aerofoil blades rotating in a vertical plane - is so established that it has become emblematic. Wind farms are even represented on maps by a diagrammatic form of the horizontal-axis turbine. According to a UK consortium, however, in the very regions where the wind is strongest, the standard turbine has inherentrndrawbacks that might see it superseded by a very different design - currently under development and with plans for full-scale testing within five years. So what could be the new iconic outline? Think of something like a rotary washing line.