A Supercapacitor Powered Radar Sensor Node for Lamination into Wind Energy Rotor Blades

This paper presents a low power sensor node that is embedded into glass fiber composite material of rotor blades during production. The structural condition of the rotor blade is monitored by an integrated FMCW radar. The sensor can achieve a lifetime of 20+ years due to the longevity of a supercapacitor based energy supply. As the available power is low, special consideration must be given to energy saving and system uptime optimization. The concept was proven by embedding the sensor in epoxy resin and consecutively in test sheets produced like rotor blade material.