Flexible extension for wind turbine rotor blades

1. A rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, comprising:

a rotor blade having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a blade tip and a blade root; and,

a flexible extension plate comprising a first end and a second end, the first end being mounted to a surface of the rotor blade, the second end being free, the flexible extension plate further comprising a gurney flap extending perpendicularly from the extension plate at the second end,

wherein, during operation of the wind turbine, the flexible extension plate passively adjusts with a changing angle of attack of the rotor blade such that an airfoil shape of the rotor blade changes with the changing angle of attack, thereby reducing variations in blade loading.

2. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the extension plate comprises one or more openings adjacent to the trailing edge of the rotor blade configured to increase flexibility of the mounted extension, wherein the one or more openings terminate prior to the second end thereof.

3. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a bond layer disposed between the first end of the extension and the surface of the rotor blade, the bond layer bonding the first end of the extension to the rotor blade.

4. The rotor blade assembly of claim 3 , wherein the bond layer comprises at least one of a weld, an epoxy, a polyurethane, a methacrylate, an acrylic, or an inner acrylic foam layer disposed between opposing outer adhesive layers.

5. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the extension is constructed of a least one of a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material.

6. The rotor blade assembly of claim 5 , wherein the extension is reinforced with a fiber material, the fiber material comprising at least one of glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic fibers, nanofibers, wood fibers, bamboo fibers, or metal fibers.

7. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , wherein the extension is formed via at least one of injection molding, three-dimensional (3-D) printing, two-dimensional (2-D) pultrusion, 3-D pultrusion, thermoforming, vacuum forming, pressure forming, bladder forming, automated fiber deposition, automated fiber tape deposition, or vacuum infusion.

8. The rotor blade assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of extensions mounted to the rotor blade.

9. A method for reducing variations in loading of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

mounting a first end of a flexible extension to a surface of the rotor blade, wherein a second end of the flexible extension remains free, being flexible between the first end and the second end, the flexible extension further comprising a gurney flap extending perpendicularly from the extension plate at the second end; and,

passively adjusting, via the flexible extension, a chord-wise airfoil shape of the rotor blade in response to a changing angle of attack of the rotor blade during operation of the wind turbine.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising modifying a flexibility of the flexible extension as a function of at least one of a span location along the rotor blade or an aerodynamic characteristic.

11. A wind turbine, comprising:

a tower extending from a support surface;

a nacelle mounted atop the tower;

a rotor having a rotatable hub with a plurality of rotor blades mounted thereto, each of the plurality of rotor blades having surfaces defining a pressure side, a suction side, a leading edge, and a trailing edge extending between a tip and a root; and,

an extension comprising a first end and a second end, the first end being mounted to one of the surfaces of the rotor blade, the second end being free, the extension further comprising a gurney flap extending perpendicularly from the extension at the second end,

wherein, during operation of the wind turbine, the extension flexes with a changing angle of attack of the rotor blade so as to tailor an airfoil shape of the rotor blade, thereby reducing variations in blade loading.

12. The wind turbine of claim 11 , wherein the extension plate comprises one or more openings configured to increase flexibility thereof.

13. The wind turbine of claim 11 , wherein the extension is constructed of a least one of a thermoplastic material or a thermoset material, and wherein the extension is reinforced with a fiber material, the fiber material comprising at least one of glass fibers, carbon fibers, polymer fibers, ceramic fibers, nanofibers, wood fibers, bamboo fibers, or metal fibers.

14. The wind turbine of claim 11 , wherein the extension is formed via at least one of injection molding, three-dimensional (3-D) printing, two-dimensional (2-D) pultrusion, 3-D pultrusion, thermoforming, vacuum forming, pressure forming, bladder forming, automated fiber deposition, automated fiber tape deposition, or vacuum infusion.