Channeling of Static Electricity Within Wind Turbines for Transmission into the Power Grid

Wind turbines employed today are fabricated from a variety of materials. Many of these materials act as insulators, effectively causing electrons to accumulate. As wind turbines operate, their blades sweep through the air causing friction to occur between the air and blade material. As a substance with the highest positive charge tendency, dry air as such typically found at most land-based wind farms pass their electrons onto the wind turbine blades by means of contact electrification, causing electrostatic accumulation. Unless properly discharged, this static electricity can be harmful to the sensitive electronics found within wind turbines. To further increase the power output of wind turbines in addition to promoting safe equipment operating conditions, this static electricity can be channeled into super capacitors for accumulation and storage. Once sufficient charge is obtained within the super capacitor, this static electricity can then be allocated to the power grid to further improve wind turbine power output. The scope of this research is to analyze the capability of channeling static electricity from wind turbine structural components into a super conductor for transmission into the power grid. This research is intended to (1) assess the means for successfully channeling electrostatic charge within wind turbines, (2) investigate the effect of electrostatic accumulation and discharge within super conductors located inside a wind turbine, and (3) assess the economic impact and feasibility of accumulating and storing static electricity within wind turbines for transmission into the power grid.