Snow PIV

How one SAFL faculty member is using snowflakes to improve wind turbine efficiency

In a new video, Dr. Jiarong Hong, Associate Director of the Eolos Wind Energy Research Consortium at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory and Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, discusses his novel approach to understanding the wake flows produced by wind turbines. In a wind farm with multiple turbines, the interaction between an upstream turbine’s wake and a downstream turbine can cause 10-30% of energy to be lost. With the help of snowflakes, Dr. Hong and his team are able to map and better understand turbine wake flows, bringing us one step closer to more efficient wind turbines and wind farms. 

Watch the video to learn more:

Learn more about the Eolos Wind Energy Research Station.

Learn more about Dr. Jiarong Hong's research

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