Systems and methods for hydro-electric power generation are disclosed. The system includes a frame or structure positioned in a waterway or channel, with one or more hydro-transition units secured to corners of the frame. The hydro-transition units include a body of reinforced fabric for redirecting water flow towards the inlet of the frame, effectively increasing the current of the water and allowing for turbines within the frame to generate power at an increased rate. Anchors and bracket systems may secure the hydro-transition units to both the waterway and the frame, thereby allowing the body of reinforced fabric to withstanding force from water-flow within the waterway. The system includes various failsafe mechanisms for disengaging or detaching the hydro-transition units from the frame and/or anchor for reacting to high water flow or volumes (e.g., flooding).

Provided is a lightning protection system for a carbon pultruded blade including a stack of carbon pultruded layers having at least a bottom layer and a top layer, each layer having a first end and a second end; the stack defining a tip-region, a root-region, and a mid-region; at least one lightning conductor extending along the stack from the tip-region to the root-region; and a plurality of electrical connections connecting the stack of layers with the lightning conductor, each end of each layer is electrically connected with the lightning conductor by one of the electrical connections; and each electrical connection that connects one of the ends of the top layer with the lightning conductor is electrically connected with the bottom layer. A carbon pultruded blade is also provided.

A wind turbine noise suppression system can include a sound absorbing batting and a fabric sheet within a column of the wind turbine. The sheet can hang within the column whereas the batting can be placed in at least a bottom and top region. A vibration isolation pad at the top of the column can mitigate a megaphone effect. The pad can be combined with an isolation washer. The pad can be less than a half inch thick, whereas the isolation washer can be less than a quarter inch thick. A sound curtain can be installed at a base of the column to suppress bell resonance. The system can, for example, reduce wind turbine noise up to ninety percent.

A buoy, preferably for a wave energy converter system, comprises a central portion; and one or a plurality of buoyancy blocks connected, directly or indirectly, to the central portion. By providing the central portion with a bell mouth opening and attachment means for a wire or rope, a buoy with improved characteristics is provided.

Among other things, the present disclosure relates to a wind turbine rotor blade that can be assembled at the site of its wind turbine. The blade includes an internal structure which may be pre-fabricated with connections to the shell skin prior to being transported to the site of its wind turbine. A filler material may be injected into the layers of fabric making up the shell skin at the wind turbine site and allowed to harden at approximately atmospheric conditions.

A wind turbine blade including an elongate reinforcing structure, the reinforcing structure comprising a plurality of strips of fibre-reinforced polymer arranged into a stack structure, and at least one adjacent pair of the plurality of strips including an infusion promoting layer, wherein the infusion promoting layer is a fabric comprising a plurality of twisted yarns. The invention is also expressed as a method of assembling a wind turbine blade.

Provided is a wind turbine blade for a wind turbine, including a web extending along a longitudinal direction of the blade, an electrically conductive beam extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade and being connected to the web, a lightning conductor extending along the longitudinal direction of the blade and being attached to the web, and a ply including carbon fibers, wherein the ply is attached to both the lightning conductor and the beam to electrically connect the lightning conductor to the beam. This has the advantage that an extensive and a continuous electrical connection between the lightning conductor and the beam is provided and that a plurality of cables electrically connecting the lightning conductor with the beam may be substituted.

A turbine blade and a method of manufacturing the wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a composite structure and a surrounding layer. The composite structure comprises a stack of pultruded elements where an infusion-promoting layer is arranged between adjacent pairs of pultruded elements (18). The infusion-promoting layers have a higher permeability than the surrounding layer so that the resin flows at a higher speed within the stacked structure than in the surrounding layer.

A turbine blade and a method of manufacturing the wind turbine, wherein the wind turbine blade comprises a composite structure and a surrounding layer. The composite structure comprises a stack of pultruded elements where an infusion-promoting layer is arranged between adjacent pairs of pultruded elements (18). The infusion-promoting layers have a higher permeability than the surrounding layer so that the resin flows at a higher speed within the stacked structure than in the surrounding layer.

Provided is a lightning protection system for a carbon pultruded blade including a stack of carbon pultruded layers having at least a bottom layer and a top layer, each layer having a first end and a second end; the stack defining a tip-region, a root-region, and a mid-region; at least one lightning conductor extending along the stack from the tip-region to the root-region; and a plurality of electrical connections connecting the stack of layers with the lightning conductor, each end of each layer is electrically connected with the lightning conductor by one of the electrical connections; and each electrical connection that connects one of the ends of the top layer with the lightning conductor is electrically connected with the bottom layer. A carbon pultruded blade is also provided.