In 2008 more wind-turbine power generation capacity was added in the United States than coal-fired power generation. The costs of producing power with wind turbines continues to drop, but many engineers feel that the overall design of turbines is still far from optimal.

New ideas for enhancing the efficiency of wind turbines were presented at the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics meeting, which took place Nov. 21–23 in Long Beach, California.

One issue confronting the efficiency of wind energy is the wind itself—specifically, its changeability. The aerodynamic performance of a wind turbine is best when under steady wind flow, and the efficiency of the blades degrades when exposed to conditions such as wind gusts, turbulent flow, upstream turbine wakes, and wind shear.

Now a new type of air-flow technology may soon increase the efficiency of large wind turbines under many different wind conditions.

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