Optimization of a 3 MW horizontal axis wind turbine blade

In the last decades renewable energy production has been growing exponentially. In this sector, electricity generation through wind turbines has become relevant. The aim of research is to enhance efficiency and energy production. In this article, in fact, the optimization analysis of a 3 MW horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) blade is presented. The aerodynamic performances are evaluated through an in house BEM code, developed by Airworks s.r.l., which is coupled with modeFrontier® in order to manage incoming data and post process results obtained in an automatic way. Airfoil type, section length, chord and twist distributions have been taken as input parameters. Power coefficient and annual energy production are the output variables used to judge the aerodynamic performance of the resulting blade. Several runs have been done in order to collect information and find the best design for the blade.