High-modulus glass fiber for wind renewable energy generation: Selective review on the recent research and development

To effectively manage turbine blade weight and blade deflection under severe weather conditions, longer and stiffer blades are required, fiber glass producers have devoted significant efforts to developing and commercializing high-modulus (HM) glass fiber products of the first generation. The current focuses aim at the commercialization of the second generation and the development of the third-generation products. This article briefly reviews four key areas: (a) the benefit of longer blades on wind energy generation, (b) characteristics of HM glass fibers of various generations, (c) fundamental science and understanding behind HM glass fiber development, and (d) finally statistically based composition (C)–property (P) and structure (S)–property (P) modeling approaches in new glass design.