A major objection to the use of wind generators is the sound they make; whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, all day long. Helicopters have the same problem and recently there have been advances in addressing their noise problem while improving efficiency.
Late model helicopters have reduced noise and improved efficiency by adding winglets to the ends of the blades. These are similar to the winglets now built on the wing tips of large jets to stop wing-tip-vortex energy loss, but usually trail behind the blade instead of angling up from it. In fact, the helicopter winglets look something like the wings on the "Winged Victory" hood ornament of classic Rolls-Royce
A field study to identify the exact source of the noise from wind turbines could provide an excellent student team exercise. Designing wingtip winglets for a wind turbine could be a good team project at the undergraduate level.
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