Wind turbines are 1.5 times taller than the Eiffel Tower

The 500-meter SUMR50 wind turbine can power 50,000 households after just one spin of the rotor.

Six major institutions in the United States, led by the University of Virginia, are collaborating to develop a 500m-high wind turbine project called SUMR50 , breaking the world's largest wind turbine record today, the International Business Times reported on June 28. .

When completed, the SUMR50 wind turbine will be higher than the Empire State Building in New York, USA (381m).(Artwork: Reuters).

Equipped with a 200m long propeller that can change in the wind direction, SUMR50 has a capacity of 50 megawatts of electricity, 10 times higher than most systems that currently produce only 5-8 megawatts depending on scale.

The bigger the wind turbine, the more wind power it can exploit, making the cost of producing electricity cheaper. The high altitude allows you to collect energy from the wind blowing faster. It is estimated that a large wind turbine like SUMR50 can provide electricity to 50,000 households with only one rotor rotation.

Currently, the world's largest wind turbine is operating the name MHI Vestas , 195m high and has a 80m long rotor. This turbine is used in the Burbo Bank project of Dong Energy Company, located in Liverpool Bay of England. Each turbine has a capacity of 8 megawatts, which can power a household for 29 hours.

SUMR50 also works offshore with the ability to capture strong winds from the ocean and to resist thunderstorms by flexible column design, able to bend and adjust like a palm tree. When the wind becomes too strong for normal operation (over 80km / h), the turbine blades are folded to avoid damage. Researchers hope the advanced design will help the building to withstand the wind up to 285km / h.

SUMR50's altitude is far above the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.(Photo: Chao Qin).

"The palms are really high but have a super lightweight structure. If the wind is blowing strong, the trunk can bend. We are trying to use the same mechanism to design flexible wind turbines, helping the building to adjust. before the wind " , Eric Loth, project director, said.

Build a large project like SUMR50, especially in the middle of the ocean, not an easy task. To solve the logistics problem, the researchers came up with the idea of a segmented propeller , allowing the construction team to transport and assemble separate parts of a 200m-long rotor.

A small test model of the construction is being developed to help the construction team build construction plans."This is a very new idea, so there is no guarantee that the project will work well. But such a project will revolutionize offshore technology , " Loth said.