A turbine retrofit that unlocks wind power’s true potential
You can’t create wind, but you can make the most of what’s blowing
The PowerCone is a turbine retrofit that channels incoming wind onto the blades to address root leakage. The result is not just more power, but power from a place where no bigger blade or smarter software can find it.
Natural Flow
At the core of wind turbines is a problem that robs them of power. Root leakage draws potential power away from the blades and generates turbulence. Root leakage is essentially a problem of airflow. To solve it, we turned to two of the natural world’s most effective ways of moving through fluids: the kingfisher and the maple seed.
Cutting Through
The kingfisher owes its reputation to how its beak allows it to plunge through the water with barely a ripple — in effect moving the fluid around itself at a precise rate. The PowerCone draws on these principles, directing wind from the root to outer spans of the blade and channeling it smoothly onto its surface.
Unlocking Time
As a maple seed falls to the ground, it moves through the air with a pattern of least resistance. The PowerCone's blades follow the seed's elegant cues: relying on the same principles of time-dependant energy efficiency, it absorbs gusts and channels wind along its blades — increasing torque, decreasing cut-in speeds, and increasing the turbine's capacity factor.
Most turbine retrofits only play at the margins. The PowerCone cuts to the heart of the issue in every way, redistributing wind to enhance the performance of existing turbines.
The PowerCone attaches directly to the hub of the turbine and co-rotates with the rotor, helping it to capture more of the wind that’s already blowing.
The Power of Evolved Design
More Power
The PowerCone doesn’t just capture more of the available wind — it enables lowers cut-in speeds, increases torque and ultimately makes the turbine more effective and efficient.
Peak aerodynamic efficiency.
More than 6% increase to annual energy production.
Minimized Load Impact
The PowerCone reduces flow separation and aligns the airflow with the turbine blades. The effect reduces turbulence and vibration, plus associated loads and normal bending moments on tower top and bottom.
Less Noise
The PowerCone’s efficiency helps your turbine reach rated power sooner, with the potential to reduce blade pitch angle and associated sound output.
How PowerCone uses nature as inspiration
