We4Ce Designs Innovative Rotor Blades for TouchWind’s Floating Wind Turbine
We4Ce, a Dutch rotor blade designer, has collaborated with TouchWind, a Dutch wind turbine startup, to design 10 rotor blade sets for testing on its floating TW6 turbine. The TW6 features a self-tilting, one-piece rotor design that deviates from traditional three-blade models.
Engineered to withstand wind speeds of up to 250 km/h, the TW6 is designed to meet the highest wind class in industry standards. The future commercial version is projected to be more cost-effective than traditional turbines while delivering higher energy yields.
We4Ce, responsible for the blade design, partnered with Dutch mould specialist Kleizen to produce both the moulds and blades. TouchWind, backed by its main shareholder, Japan-based Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), selected We4Ce as the lead partner for the blades.
The delivery of the blades marks the next phase of the prototype for TouchWind’s innovative tilting, one-piece rotor wind turbine. These 12 kW turbines, featuring a six-meter-diameter rotor for efficient energy capture, will undergo testing onshore and offshore.
The turbines will be positioned closely together to validate the high energy density demonstrated in wind tunnel tests. Currently being assembled in Eindhoven, the wind turbine is scheduled to commence testing in the summer.
“We4Ce created a special structural design for the smaller blade compared to conventional blades. The aerodynamic design, a novel downwind self-tilting design by Rikus van de Klippe of TouchWind, allows the rotor to tilt upwards, nearly parallel to the water surface at high wind speeds,” said Arnold Timmer, managing director of We4Ce.
The tilting design allows wind capture even in storms (Credit: TouchWind)
The turbine operates akin to a kite – instead of resisting the wind like traditional turbines, it ‘lifts itself’ with the wind, utilizing aerodynamic lift for stability and power regulation. This configuration enables the blade to efficiently harness strong winds while reducing structural stress.
TouchWind’s design not only aims to mitigate wind interference between turbines, a common issue in large wind farms, but also seeks to enhance overall wind farm power generation efficiency.
Looking forward, TouchWind has initiated the development of a 3-5 MW version of the turbine for 2025, with plans to scale the design for future offshore deployment. These wind turbines are suitable for compact offshore wind farms and hold potential for further scalability in the future.