A proposal and a theoretical analysis of a novel concept of a tilted-axis wind turbine

• A novel wind turbine is proposed.
• The proposed wind turbine is analyzed and compared to a conventional wind turbine.
• The proposed wind turbine may be 2.5 times less expensive for the same power.

A novel wind turbine is proposed with a downwind rotor, tilted upward. An external cable that is attached to the blades' center of force supports each rotor blade, and the tower is supported by guy wires at the top. The nacelle is eliminated and the main axle is replaced by power take off from an annular ribbon, rotating with the rotor; thus most large bending moments are eliminated and replaced by tensile and compressive loads. Further, the proposed wind turbine does not use a gearbox or a direct drive generator. The proposed system is structurally analyzed and compared with a conventional wind turbine. The comparison shows that manufacturing the proposed system may be 2.5 times less expensive than manufacturing a conventional wind turbine of the same power on land. The cost advantage promises to be even bigger offshore.