Wind turbine blades as a strain energy source for energy harvesting

Structural health monitoring of wind turbine blade mechanical performance can inform maintenance decisions, lead to reduced down time and improve the reliability of wind turbines. Wireless, self-powered strain gages and accelerometers have been proposed to transmit blade data to a monitoring system located in the nacelle. Each sensor node is powered by a strain Energy Harvester (EH). The amplitude and frequency of strain at the blade surface (where the EH is mounted) must be sufficient to enable data transfer. In this study, the strain energy available for energy harvesting is evaluated for three typical wind turbines with different wind conditions. A FAST simulation code, available through the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), is used to determine bending moments in the wind turbine blade. Given the moment data as a function of position along the blade and time (i.e. blade rotational position), strain in the blade is calculated. The data provide guidance for optimal design of the energy harvester.

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