A test application was conducted in which super hydrophobic coating HIREC100 * was painted onto key areas of the blade to verify whether it would be effective in improving power generation efficiency.
*HIREC100 is the predecessor to HIREC-R. The performance of both products is equivalent.| Points of problems and challenges |
|
In wind power generation, a decrease in power generation efficiency due to snow and ice accretion in winter can be a problem. There is also a method of melting snow and ice by heating the blades, but there are issues with high heating power costs and run-back icing where the water that has melted snow and ice freezes again on the blades. |
| Countermeasure points |
|
A test application was conducted in which super hydrophobic coating HIREC was painted on key areas of the blades to confirm whether it would be effective in improving power generation efficiency. |
 |
It was found that the power generation efficiency was improved by about 9 points compared to the case where HIREC was not painted. |
| Implementation overview | |
|---|---|
| place | Wind power generators in the high mountains of Europe (regions where the temperature drops below -10°C in winter and snow accumulates) |
| Implementation content | Compare the power generation efficiency for one year between a normal wind power generator without HIREC and a wind power generator with HIREC applied to the key points of the blades. |
| result |
Power generation loss rate of wind turbines without HIREC coating (average for all units): about 27.5% Power generation loss rate of wind turbines coated with HIREC: about 18.5%↓ |
close up