Model Turbines

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University installed these model windmills in a specialized wind tunnel to replicate the arrangement of multiple turbines at a typical wind farm.  By mounting the model airplane propellers within the tunnel and using a combination of smoke and laser light to visualize currents, the researchers are trying to determine the complex airflow dynamics of the increasingly popular “green” energy source.  A video about the project is available here. 

Credit: Will Kirk