Selection of material for wind turbine blade using PROMETHEE-GAIA method

Abstract

The non-renewable energy sources such as wood, coke, coal, uranium are limited and are the source of environmental pollution. Therefore, the focus has shifted on sustainable energy resources meaning optimized utilization of energy resources and minimized pollution. One of the main sustainable energy resources is the wind energy which is generated using a wind turbine. The major component of a wind turbine is a turbine blade. The efficiency of the wind turbine depends to a great extent on the material of the turbine blade besides the angle and shape of the blade being the other factors. For wind turbine to have optimum efficiency, a wind turbine blade should have low density, high stiffness and long fatigue life. The present work discusses the selection of suitable material for a wind turbine blade using one of the prominently used decision making aid known as the PROMETHEE-GAIA approach. The candidate materials considered were Steel, Aluminium, Glass-E, Carbon and Aramid. The decision was made under the influence of five conflicting criteria: stiffness (Gpa), tensile strength (Mpa), density (kg/m3), elongation at break (%), and the maximum temperature. Carbon fibre was found to be the most suitable material for the wind turbine blade.