Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor
Sponsor: Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E)
Project leader: Eric Loth
Participants:
University of Virginia: Eric Loth, Carlos Noyes, Meghan Kaminski, Juliet Simpson
University of Texas at Dallas: Todd Griffith, Shulong Yao, Mayank Chetan, Alejandra Excalera
Colorado School of Mines: Kathryn Johnson, Sepideh Kianbakht
University of Colorado at Boulder: Lucy Pao, Daniel Zalkind
National Wind Technology Center: Tiffany Byrne, Lee Jay Fingersh, Tyler Stehly
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Michael Selig
The Segmented Ultralight Morphing Rotor (SUMR) is a state-of-the-art extreme-scale wind turbine project capable of capturing 13MW of power. Using a downwind, 2-bladed, and coned rotor, blade lengths reach an excess of 100-meters in length. To experimentally test the turbine, a 20% gravo-aeroelastically scaled rotor is installed at the National Wind Technology Center to test the viability of such turbines.
![These Giant Wind Turbines, Inspired by Palm Trees, May Be the Future of Renewable Energy](/sites/default/files/styles/wide_xxsml/public/2024-02/UVA_Rotunda_Jefferson_Statue_generic.jpg?h=14690cba&itok=p0FCpASD)
These Giant Wind Turbines, Inspired by Palm Trees, May Be the Future of Renewable Energy
![SUMR1](/sites/default/files/styles/classic_xxsml/public/2024-02/sumr1.jpg?itok=xl8TqWIo)
![SUMR2](/sites/default/files/styles/classic_xxsml/public/2024-02/sumr2.jpg?itok=6qtQG-W2)
![SUMR3_0](/sites/default/files/styles/classic_xxsml/public/2024-02/sumr3_0.jpg?itok=wtdVJXbs)