What Are The Spikes On Wind Turbine Blades Used For?

We were driving by the railroad tracks in Duluth, Minnesota when we noticed a shipment of wind turbine blades ready to head out. We noticed these huge spikes and we wondered what they were used for. We all had our guesses, and we were all wrong.

I hypothesized that when the wind turbines aren't being used, the spikes keep birds off of them. You see spikes like that used on buildings where they don't want pigeons to hang out. But no, that wasn't it.

Read More: The Real Reason Menards Has Turnstiles At Their Entrances

We also thought maybe it helped cut through the wind, but that doesn't make sense because it's on the trailing edge, not the cutting side.

Smart Blades Reduce Noise Emissions

So I did a search and found out that they are actually called Smart Blades. The primary use of them is to reduce noise emissions.

I've never been that close to a wind turbine before, but it turns out they can be kinda loud. Listen to the whooshing noise of the blades in this YouTube short.

Some operators have to run their turbines in a noise-reduced mode at night to follow regulations. That can lower the efficiency of the turbine.

Serrated Blades Also Improve Efficiency

Because the blades help with noise emissions, operators can run them at full power day at night which increases the efficiency by 5-10%.

How does it work?

The trailing edge serration helps to eliminate the sound waves and pressure fluctuations that make the noise.

Get our free mobile app