WE Design has tasked our team with creating a design for the blades and hub of a small wind turbine that can compete in theNHL Hogeschool: International Small Wind Turbine Contest in the Netherlands and the US Department of Energy: Collegiate Wind Competition in the United States. Our team is required to create a design that is highly efficient, so that it can be a competitive entry in the contests. After considering all possible options, the team chose a three blade horizontal axis wind turbine due to the high maximum aerodynamic efficiency, among other criteria. Using an generalized rotor design procedure for specific conditions, the team derived a analytical blade profile that was used as a starting point for the optimization phase. Defining the blade profile included determining airfoil geometry, airfoil location, angle of attack, angle of twist, and chord length. For the optimization phase, simulations were performed using QBlade, which allowed the team to make iterative changes on various parameters of the blade. QBlade is a software created specifically for wind turbine analysis. It uses a numerical approach to analyze the rotor’s aerodynamic efficiency, as well as the structural capabilities. Therefore, ensuring the optimal blade profile is found by maximizing the aerodynamic efficiency, while maintaining the reliability of the rotor. From the initial analytical blade profile, QBlade predicted a power coefficient less than 10% at the ideal tip speed ratio, 4.1, for our turbine. By iteratively changing the blade’s chord length, angle of twist and airfoil location the design was able to achieve a maximum theoretical aerodynamic efficiency of 29.1% and a power of 31 W at an ideal tip speed ratio of 4.1. These results surpass the client’s needs, and will provide a competitive design for the competitions WE Design plans to attend. In order to analyze the structural capabilities of the rotor design using QBlade, a material had to be selected for the blades. Taking into account primarily strength, weight and manufacturability of complex shapes, the team opted to use woven prepreg carbon fiber composite skin with aluminum honeycomb core. After considering specific material data, AS4 6K/PR500...