Wind turbines start swaying and moving extremely fast when the wind is high, resulting in blade damage. The conventional furling method is to install a passive system for yawing the turbines sideways and thus escaping continuous high wind thrusts. However, for turbines with larger capacities, conventional methods do not help and high winds affect the blades.
The problem with conventional wind turbines is that they are not able to operate past a certain speed. If the wind becomes too powerful, the turbine can potentially begin to rotate too fast. This damages hhe blades as well as the turbine itself, which can become overworked and will consequently overheat.
The solution for this has always been wind turbine furling, which is a kind of mechanical brake which slows down rotation of the blades. The blades are turned in to the wind, so that more wind spills through and less force is put on the blades. The problem with this system has always been that the system is slow and does not adequately protect the turbine from damage. However, now better electronically-controlled furling systems are available that automatically keep a check on blade motion in high winds. A Canadian wind turbine company called True North Power NG has developed a much more intelligent, more efficient kind of wind turbine that will potentially allow wind turbines to generate far more power than they otherwise do.
