this post was submitted on 16 Sep 2025
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If We Want Bigger Wind Turbines, We’re Gonna Need Bigger Airplanes (spectrum.ieee.org)
submitted 1 week ago by kalkulat@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world
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"Having fewer total turbines means a wind farm could space them farther apart, avoiding airflow interference. The turbines would be nearly twice as tall, so they'll reach a higher, gustier part of the atmosphere. And big turbines don't need to spin as quickly, so they would make economic sense in places with average wind speeds around 5 meters per second... "

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[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

You need wing area and engine power to carry weight, not to carry space. That plane is made to carry extremely lightweight wind turbine blades that take up a lot of space but are very low density.

Yes, if you fill that payload area with iron, it won't fly. But if you use it for its intended purpose, the wing area is large enough.