‘Breakthrough in bladeless wind turbines: efficient small-scale energy generation on the horizon’
June 13, 2025 – Researchers of the University of Glasgow are uncovering new opportunities to advance a promising form of small-scale wind energy generation. They have used advanced computer simulations of bladeless wind turbines (BWTs) to identify, for the first time, how future generations of this technology can be designed for maximum efficiency.
According to Glasgow, these findings could help the renewable energy sector scale up BWTs – currently still in the early stages of research and development – from small field experiments to practical energy solutions for national power grids.
Unlike conventional wind turbines, which generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy of rotating blades, BWTs operate through a process known as vortex-induced vibration.
BWTs are slender, cylindrical structures that sway in the wind, much like streetlights during a storm. When wind blows against them, it creates vortices – alternating air currents that cause the entire structure to oscillate. When the frequency of this movement matches the structure’s natural resonant frequency, the motion is amplified. This increased motion can then be converted into electricity.
This research was published in Renewable Energy under the title ‘Performance analysis and geometric optimization of bladeless wind turbines using wake oscillator model’.
