Kane

Blade Design
Context/Background:
For many generations, the concept of renewable energy has
been conversed, confused, and changed. Renewable energy, in the
future will be one of the most important energy sources, so it is
essential that we research and investigate the most efficient way to
generate energy. In this day and age, the best sources of renewable
are solar, wind, and tidal. Solar energy comes from changing the suns
light and heat into electricity through solar panels and was first
introduced by William Grylls Adams when it was discovered that when
selenium was exposed to light, it produced electricity. Wind energy is
drawn from wind turbines and tidal energy is drawn from the
movement of the waves because of the gravitational force between the
sun and the moon. The Egyptians first utilized it in 5000 B.C. when it
pushed sailboats across the Nile River . From 619, people have used
tide mills, which are the pre-evolution to the water wheel, that used
collected water to spin the water wheel and create electricity. In the
ancient past, Hawaiians never used fossil fuels or non-renewable
energy sources. The walked everywhere they went, the used natural
heat instead of fueled fires for cooking, they made their own houses,
furniture, mats, and fishing nets, so there is no need for mass
production.

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The background of renewable energy has gone as far back as
humans have existed. Scientists, for many years, have been
researching, experimenting, and making new ways to have the most
efficient renewable energy source. Take solar panels for example, they
work by using the heat from the suns rays and holds and generates it.
But, the problem is that there is no effective way to hold high amounts
of electricity generated by renewable energy sources. But, there are
other ways to get energy. Geothermal energy is made by extracting
heat from under the Earths surface and using the steam to make
electricity. Tidal energy is obtained by using the movement of the tides
underwater made by the moon, the earth, and the suns gravitational
attraction.
The way that our class has decided to pursue the future of
renewable energy is by creating more efficient and effective wind
turbine blades. So far, we have tested many different shapes, lengths,
angles, colors, and other variables. Based on our data and
observations, we learned that the best shape for our turbine is a
triangle. Next, out of all of our angles, the ones under 25 for the
triangle worked the best. Lastly, we chose the lengths we did because
in comparison to the turbine, the blades should be smaller. I
hypothesize that the best blade will be 10cm at 25 because when we
tested our blades, the 10 cm worked better than the 7.5cm and the
15cm. Then, when we tested the different angles, the higher the angle,

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the faster the blade spun. But, according to our other data tables from
different experiments, an angle that is too high like 60, then it wont
move as efficiently.
Design :
For our experiment, we predicted that if we use a triangle blade
at 10 cm and angle it at 30, then it will produce the highest electrical
output. We believe this because during our trials, we discovered that
the 10 cm blade moved faster than the 7.5 and 15 cm and the higher
the angle, the faster it spun, but most blades with an angle over 45
didnt spin as well.
Procedure:
1. Gather materials
2. Place fan on 2 science textbooks.
3. Measure 100 cm from the front of fan to the front of the blade
hub.
4. Attach the multimeter to the wind turbine by taking the wires
that are hanging. Assemble by attaching the clips to the
multimeter. Turn on multimeter switch by turning the dial to the
left line it up to 20.

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5. Next take the 10 cm rectangle blade and attach the portion of
the dowel to the hub by first loosening the screw on the front of
the hub then placing the dowel into the hole.
6. Use the protractor to measure that blade is at 20. The
protractor needs to be flat against the turbine hub.
7. Repeat steps 5-6 until all rectangle blades are attached then
tighten the screw on the front of the hub by turning clockwise (do
not over tighten).
8. Double check that youve kept the 100 cm distance from the
front of the screw on the hub to the front of the fan.
9. Switch on the multimeter, check that the multimeter is reading
zero.
10.

Turn on the fan set to speed 3

11. Time wind for one minute with stopwatch. As your timing for
one minute

observe by looking at the multimeter

and record the highest and lowest electrical output

12. Switch off the fan
Materials:
1. Wind turbine
2. 1 fan
3. 1 metric stick

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4.
5.
6.
7.

1
1
1
1

multimeter
protractor
pencil
dowel that is about 4 inches and 2 out of the 4 inches must be

sticking out (Premeasure)

8. 1 glue gun
9. 3 glue sticks
10.
10 cm long, 3 in wide, precut triangle blade
11.
1 stopwatch
12.
1 safety goggles
13.
2 pieces of tape
14.
2 Science textbooks
Experimental Modifications :
If I could redesign the experiment, I would change the amount of time
we had to freely experiment with the blades. Over the course of a
couple hour-long class periods, we only got to test color, shape, angle,
and length. Because of this, not everyone was able to obtain a high
voltage. If we would experiment more with things like wind speed,
curved shapes, and dowel length, then Im sure the highest voltage
would be well above what it is now.
Data Collection:
1. Length of Blade - The amount of electricity produced by the
turbine varies depends on how long each blade is. When you use
longer blades on a turbine, the wind has to be stronger to spin
the heavier mass. A smaller blade will spin faster during fast
winds because of its ability to capture the wind effectively. Even
though it may seem like a smaller blade spins faster, real wind
turbines, spinning because of real wind, in the real world have

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enormous blades that produce large amounts of electricity. Have
you ever noticed that when birds fly near turbines, they fall to
the ground? Well this is because the large blades, from a
distance, don't seem to be moving very quickly. But, up close the
blades move from a range of 150-200 mph.
2. Angle - The amount of electricity produced by the turbines
varies depending on the angle of the blade. The angle is
important because it is how the wind hits the blade. The blade
angle determines how the wheel rotates to generate electricity.
When you have a larger angle, it seems as though the blades
ability to effectively capture the winds energy is increased. But,
angles, just like every other variable, are only effective when all
variables work together.
3. Shape - The amount of electricity produced by the turbines
varies depending on the shape. It is determined by the
aerodynamic ability. If the blade is not aerodynamic, then it wont
be as efficient for creating electricity. Shapes like rectangles
dont produce a lot of electricity because it isnt aerodynamic, or
the ability to reduce the drag from air moving past. But shapes,
depending on different variables, like triangles and ovals move
much faster.

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4. Color - Color can affect the amount of electrical output according
to our data. The lighter colors like yellow and pink generated the
most electricity. But, the darker colors like the purple and green
didnt spin as fast. Even though it seems as though color
wouldnt affect the amount of electricity produced, and we even
hypothesized that color wouldnt affect it either, the lighter
colors still produced more electricity. The color of the blade is an
5. Speed of Wind - For a wind turbine, the variables arent always
part of the turbine directly. The speed of the wind that hits the
blades is one of the most important variables to produce
electricity. When the fan was put on speed 1, most of the blades
didnt produce a lot of electricity. But, when the fan was put on
speed 3, there was more electricity generated due to the higher
wind speed hitting the turbines blades. The speed of wind is an
independent variable.
6. Electrical Output The electrical output is the dependent
variable in our experiment. After each trial we got the highest
electrical output, in volts, which was used to show if each trial
was a fail or a success. We also recorded the lowest output to
find the range of each trial. In addition to the range, we also
recorded the average for each independent variable (shape,
length, angle, color), and the overall average of every 9 trials.

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7. Distance from fan Another significant variable in the
experiment is the distance from the turbine to the fan. It can
affect how fast the blade spins because if the wind is stronger,
the blade will most likely spin faster, and if the fan is further
away, the wind will be weaker and the blades will most likely spin
slower. We hypothesized that the closer the fan to the turbine,
the higher the electrical output and the further it was, the lower
the output. The distance is an independent variable.
Alternative Data Sets:

Length of

Distanc

Shap

Angl

Lengt

Fan

Test

Electrica Observatio

Dowel (cm)

e from

e ()

spee

duration

l Output

(cm)

d (1-

(1

3)

minute)

fan
(cm)
5

100

Oval

45

15 cm

minute
5

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

ns

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7.5

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

7.5

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

7.5

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

15

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

15

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

15

100

Oval

45

15 cm

1
minute

If there was something different I could do or maybe change a

variable in the experiment, I would do so. In Science, the testing,
experimenting, recording, and analyzing never stop. So, if we should
do more experimenting, then what should be changed. In an
experiment, the only things that can vary are the variables. In our wind
turbine experiments, the variables are length of blade, width of the

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blade, angle, shape, color, wind speed, distance from the fan, and
length of the dowel. Even though there are many more, and there are
endless possibilities of different results, the one thing that I would
alternate in our experiment would be the blade length. When we tested
before hand, all we did was test on speed 1 at 3 different lengths. Now
that we finished our final trial, we realized that because a high number
of volts were not reached, we did something incorrectly. Was it the
wind speed, was it the angle, or was it the length. The only variables
that were changed since our 9 trials were these 3. Based on our
experimenting after the final trial was over, we found out that our
blade spun better at speed 1. We also found out that our final blade
spun faster at 30 than 20 at speed 3. My hypothesis was that the
reason that our final experiment was kind of a fail was because of the
length. We thought that if we increased the length of the blade, its
ability to capture the energy of the wind would increase.
Data Analysis:
Final Blade Design
Shap
e of
Blade

Electric
al
output

Test
duratio
n
(minut
e)

Wind
Speed
(Fan
settin
g 3)

Distanc
e from
Hub
(source)
(cm)

Angle(
)

Length(c
m)

Observations

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Triang
le

1.93

1
minute

100 cm

30

10 cm

Lowest was 1.63

Started moving 3 seconds
after fan turned on
Hub shook
Spun at a constant speed

During our final trial, we got a lot less than expected. There could have
been 2 possibilities for this. One was that we changed the angle of our
blade drastically by 10 right before we tested it. We wanted to test it
at 20 because during our 9 trials the class prior, everything close to
25 worked better. But, there was also another variable that was
changed. When we did our 9 trials, we tested on speed 1 because we
believed that it would give the most accurate results. We even got 2.49
E-volts at 10 cm and speed 1. At first, we couldn't understand what
went wrong with the experiment and why we achieved a higher
number of volts when at speed 1 instead of speed 3. But, we later
realized that because of the differently changed variables, we got
totally different results. Instead of speed 1, we were at speed 3.
Instead of 20, we were at 30. There were so many changed variables,
so in the end, our result would be unpredictable.
Length of Blade Test

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Shape
of
Blade

Electric
al
output

Test
durati
on
(minut
e)

Wind
Spee
d
(Fan
setti
ng 1,
2, 3)

Distan
ce
from
Hub
(sourc
e)
(cm)

Angle of
blade
(degrees
)

Length (cm)

Observations *n
any adjustments
concerns, or
anything pertain
to the lab here.

Rectan
gle

1.57

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

7.5cm

Startedmoving4
secondsafter
Constantspeed
Hubnotshaking
LowestEvoltswa

Rectan
gle

1.89

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

7.5cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Movingfast
Constantspeed
LowestEvoltswa

Rectan
gle

2.52

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

7.5cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Inconsistent
Lowestwas0.45
Slowmoving

Rectan
gle

1.22

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

15cm

Startedmoving4
secondsafter
Inconsistentspeed
Hubshook
Lowestwas0.92

Rectan
gle

1.58

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

15cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Constantspeed
Hubshook
Lowestwas1.3

Rectan
gle

1.74

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

15cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Fast
Constantspeed
Hubshook
Lowestwas1.24

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Rectan
gle

0.53

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

30cm

Startedmoving4
secondsafter
Inconsistentspeed
Bladesmovinglike
turbinesblades
Lowestwas0.34
Hubnotshaking

Rectan
gle

0.7

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

30cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Constantspeed
LowestEvoltswa

Rectan
gle

0.75

1
minut
e

100
cm

45
degrees

30cm

Startedmoving3
secondsafter
Constantspeed
Hubshook
Movingslow
LowestEvoltswa

Average : 7.5 cm 1.99, 15 cm 1.51, 30 cm 0.66

Overall Average 1.39
Range 0.53-2.52
Median 1.57
Electrical Output (Least to Greatest) 0.53, 0.7, 0.75, 1.22,
1.57, 1.58, 1.74, 1.89, 2.52
Angle of Blade Investigation

Shape of
Blade

Electric
al
output

Test
Wind
duratio Speed
n
(Fan

Distanc
e from
Hub

Angle
of
blade

Observations *note
any adjustments,
concerns, or anything

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(minut
e)

settin
g 1, 2,
3)

(source
)
(cm)

(degree pertaining to the lab

s)
here.

Oval

1
minute

100 cm

10
degree
s

Wholeturbineshaking
Bladesnotmoving
Lowestandhighestvoltage
was0

Oval

1.93

1
minute

100 cm

25
degree
s

Startedmovingafter14
seconds
Seeminglymostefficient
Constantmotion
Lowestvoltageas1.6

Oval

0.67

1
minute

100 cm

60
degree
s

Startedmoving5seconds
after
Inconsistent
Lowestwas0.45
Slowmoving

Triangle

2.07

1
minute

100 cm

10
degree
s

Startedmoving8seconds
after
Constantmotion
Mostefficientand
producedthemostelectricity
Lowestwas1.78

Triangle

1.46

1
minute

100 cm

25
degree
s

Startedmoving8seconds
after
Movingslowereven
thoughhigherspeed
Hubshaking
Lowestwas1.18

Triangle

0.73

1
minute

100 cm

60
degree
s

Startedmoving4seconds
after
Slow
Inconsistent
Nonefficient
Lowestwas0.54

Rectangle

1
minute

100 cm

10
degree
s

Bladesshook
Notmovingorspinning
Lowestandhighestvoltage

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was0
Leastefficient
Rectangle

1.34

1
minute

100 cm

25
degree
s

Startedmoving5seconds
after
Movingslow
Hubshook
LowestEvoltswas0.91

Rectangle
s

0.67

1
minute

100 cm

60
degree
s

Startedmoving4seconds
after
Inconsistent
Movingslow
LowestEvoltswas0.5

Average : 10 - 0.69, 25 - 1.58, 60 - 0.69

Overall Average 0.99
Range 0-2.07
Median 0.73
Mode 0.67
Electrical Output (Least to Greatest) 0, 0, 0.67, 0.67, 0.73,
1.34, 1.46, 193, 2.07
The average for each angle on or table is 0.69 for 10, 1.58 for 25,
and 0.69 for 60. The overall average for our table is 0.99. The range
of electrical output on our table is 0-2.07.
Shape of Blade Investigation

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Shape of
Blade

Electrica
l output
in Volts

Test
Wind
duration Speed
(minute) (Fan
settin
g 1, 2,
3)

Distance Angle of
from
blade
Hub
(degrees)
(source)
(cm)

Observations *note any

adjustments, concerns, or
anything pertaining to the
lab here.

Rectangl
e

0.91

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Blades started to move 5

seconds after fan turned on
Inconsistent in power
output
Hub shook
Blades not aerodynamic
Lowest E-Volts was 0.53

1.24

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 3 seconds

after
Hub shook
Blades slowed down
Lowest E-volts was 0.89

Rectangl
e

1.41

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 3 seconds

after
Hub shaking a lot
Blades down
Lowest E-volts was 1.3

Leaf

1.37

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 6 seconds

after
Blades more aerodynamic
and efficient
Constant speed
Lowest was 1.08

Leaf

1.85

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 4 seconds

after
Hub shook
Producing most volts
Blades seem most
efficient
Lowest E-volts was 1.43

Leaf

2.08

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Blades shook before

moving from impact
Moving very fast, but not
most efficient
Started moving after 3

Rectangl
e

1.241.24

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seconds
Lowest E-volts was 1.57
Triangle

1.17

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 5 seconds

after
Hub shook
Constant speed
Lowest E-volts was 0.9

Triangle

1.4

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 5 seconds

after
Hub shook
Lowest E-volts was 1.09
Constant speed

Triangle

1.71

1
minute

100 cm

45
degrees

Started moving 3 seconds

after
Hub shook
Constant speed
Lowest E-volts was 1.44
Efficient

Average : Rectangle 1.19, Oval 1.77, Triangle 1.43

Overall Average 1.46
Range 0.91-2.08
Median 1.37
Electrical Output (Least to Greatest) 0.91, 1.17, 1.24, 1.37,
1.4, 1.41, 1.71, 1.85, 2.08
Conclusion:
Our hypothesis was that if we use a triangle blade at 10 cm and
angle it at 30, then it will produce the highest electrical output. We

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believe this because during our trials, we discovered that the 10 cm
blade moved faster than the 7.5 and 15 cm and the higher the angle,
the faster it spun, but most blades with an angle over 45 didnt spin as
well.
Based on the data collected, it proved that our hypothesis was
incorrect. In our hypothesis, it stated that at 30, the 10 cm blade
would spin the fastest at speed 3. But, we only got 1.93 volts. In our
trials, we got to 2.49 volts on speed 1 at 10 cm and 15, but we
tweaked our angles and speed in the final test, and we got a totally
different results. This proves how great each variables effect can have
on the experiments results.
A hypothesis is an educated guess as to what will happen during
your experiment. The reason we changed it was to change and have
better results. The desired results that we obtain will result from the
different predictions and changes we make during our experiments.
The more we change our hypothesis, the closer we get to finding the
data and results that we are looking for.
If we were able to continue this experiment, the next steps and
procedures would be to experiment with different types of variables
including length of the dowel and distance of the fan. For the length of
a dowel, we would need to do the same kind of experiments we did
before, the 9 trials, but with different 3 different dowel lengths. For the
distance from the fan, we would need to do another 9 trials with 3

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different distances from the fan. I would choose 5 cm, 10 cm, and 15
cm for the 3 different lengths of the dowels and 75 cm, 125 cm, and
150 cm for the distance from the turbine to the fan.
The results that we got from our experiments and data tables are
relevant can relate to Real World Communities and Hawaiian culture
because they represent what kind of problem our generation is facing
right now in terms of renewable energy and how the Hawaiians had to
find their own ways to live without electricity and advanced technology.
Renewable energy is something that many communities, maybe even
the ones that we live in, face. Renewable energy is an infinite energy
source. Scientists have been working for years to find the right way to
generate and store the energy created. The results that were obtained
from our experiments relate to the engineers and scientists who are
trying to create the best and most efficient wind turbines blades in
different areas around the world. The most efficient blades possible still
havent been created, but just like in our experiments, we have to keep
testing and testing, trying and trying, until we find the results that
were searching for.
In the ancient past, hundreds of thousands of years ago,
Hawaiians lived on the Hawaiian Islands, with no electricity or
advanced technology. They survived by respecting and living off the
land. They always take what they need, and never take more. In other
places around the world , people steal, kill, and destroy, but in ancient

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Hawaii, there was almost no one who committed such drastic crimes
because they understood the concepts of a balanced society and
environmental health. They never released green houses into the
atmosphere or utilized fossil fuels. But, after being taken over, the
Hawaiian Islands are now just as accusable of utilizing green house
gases as any other state or country. The results of our experiment
prove that we, as Hawaiians, are always looking for the best source of
renewable energy so the ina and our environment can be seen,
loved, and passed down to future generations.