
Could you fit solar panels to wind turbine blades?
Talk about inception! Solar panels in wind farms... renewable energy source within renewable energy source.
Asked by: Graham Rawlings, Newport
Wind turbine blades have a reasonable surface area and extra power from solar panels mounted on them could easily be transmitted to the grid via existing wind farm infrastructure.
But even so, the idea is pretty impractical. For one thing, the blades are mounted vertically, so panels would only harvest decent solar power with the Sun low in the sky at sunrise or sunset. And turbines facing the optimum wind direction aren't necessarily ideally orientated to catch sunshine.
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
Authors
Subscription offer
Subscribe and try your first 3 issues for just £5. After your introductory period you will pay just £22.99 every 6 issues by Direct Debit. Receive every issue delivered direct to your door with FREE UK delivery.