These nearly silent wind turbines have owl-inspired 'feathers'

Ryan Church, founder and CEO of Biome Renewables, states, "Noise is really the biggest limiting factor for the placement of turbines. Modern turbines are quieter than early models, but the sound of the turning blades is still noticeable, limiting the size of wind farms, their proximity to cities, and operational schedules. This new design aims to significantly mitigate that issue."

Church was inspired to develop the FeatherEdge design after witnessing how silently owls fly. He recalls, "In a nature documentary, other birds make noise flapping their wings while the barn owl passes silently, making us wonder if the recording equipment is even on. It’s absolutely silent. This sparked the idea that we could adapt this natural design to improve wind turbine efficiency and reduce noise."

The FeatherEdge’s unique shape, inspired by the fringe on owl feathers, uses principles of physics to significantly cut down noise pollution. The engineers at Biome Renewables customize this design for each specific wind turbine, applying these flexible attachments at critical locations to better control air mixing, thereby reducing turbulence and noise at the trailing edges of the blades.

Read at Fast Company