@sneakypete
Leading edge erosion: https://weatherguardwind.com/leading-edge-erosion/
@Kamaji Thanks!
I still find it hard to believe those blades are spinning at 150 MPH,though. Yeah,I know they are HUGE,but even being that big,150 mph is still 150 mph.
I am a little shocked that rain causes them so many problems. First of all,WTH are the operators even allowing them to spin when it's raining? Ride by one of those "wind farms" and at least 30 percent of them aren't even turning,regardless of the weather.
On top of that,they have storage batteries to provide electricity for times when conditions are too rough for them to operate.
Also,there are some pretty freaking tough metals out there that could be used IF they aren't too hard to be used in such applications.
I was thinking that if there was anything vulnerable about them,it would be the bearings in the blade shafts and generators. Talk about systems taking a load!
AND......,given what it costs to buy,ship,and install blades,it might even be cheaper to use something like industrial diamonds on the leading edges to reduce wear and downtime.
Or is the real problem the fact that blades that last longer would eat too deeply into the manufacturers profits? After all,it ain't like you can order new blades for those things from amazon.
BTW,is there any reason the old ones that are buried couldn't be dug up and have new "leading edges" attached to them so they can be re-used? If NASA can glue tiles on rocket ships and space shuttles that stays in place,WHY can't this or similar glues be used to rebuild these blades at a much cheaper cost than manufacturing a new one?