US20130101417A1

US20130101417A1 - Wind turbine rotor blades with ultraviolet light-reflective substances

Info

Publication number: US20130101417A1
Application number: US13/280,748
Authority: US
Inventors: II Joel Russell Cloninger; Nicholas R. Farley
Original assignee: General Electric Co
Current assignee: General Electric Co
Priority date: 2011-10-25
Filing date: 2011-10-25
Publication date: 2013-04-25

Abstract

A wind turbine rotor blade is disclosed that includes a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge and may define an outer surface. In addition, an ultraviolet light-reflective tape may be disposed on the outer surface of the body.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present subject matter relates generally to wind turbines and, more particularly, to wind turbine rotor blades having ultraviolet light-reflective substances disposed thereon and/or dispersed therein in order to prevent bird strikes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest, most environmentally friendly energy sources presently available, and wind turbines have gained increased attention in this regard. However, while being considered environmentally safe, wind turbines pose a significant threat to birds. Specifically, it has been found that birds in flight have trouble perceiving the rotating rotor blades of a wind turbine. As a result, birds tend to fly directly into and strike the rotor blades, causing damage to the rotor blades as well significant injury and/or death to the birds. The occurrence of such bird strikes have led many to enact regulations and/or laws prohibiting and/or discouraging the placement of wind turbines in migratory pathways, in areas of high bird populations and/or in areas that may attract high bird populations in the future.
Many believe that bird strikes result from motion smear caused by the high velocity rotation of wind turbine rotor blades. In general, motion smear is a term used to describe the degradation in perception that results from the inability of the retina of the eye to process high temporal frequencies of stimulation occurring from high velocity retinal-image motion. In other words, motion smear refers to the phenomenon that causes an object, which is moving across the retina with increasing speed, to become progressively blurred. For instance, in the case of wind turbines, motion smear occurs primarily at the tips of the rotor blades, making the blade tips appear almost transparent at high retinal-image velocities. Accordingly, birds flying near wind turbines often fail to perceive the rotating blades, thereby resulting in bird strikes.
Accordingly, a rotor blade configuration that reduces the occurrence of bird strikes, such as by preventing or limiting motion smear, would be welcomed in the technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one aspect, the present subject matter discloses a wind turbine rotor blade. The rotor blade may include a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge and may define an outer surface. In addition, an ultraviolet light-reflective tape may be disposed on the outer surface of the body.
In another aspect, the present subject matter discloses a wind turbine rotor blade. The rotor blade may include a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Additionally, a transparent coating may define an outer surface of the body. Moreover, an ultraviolet light-reflective substance may be disposed beneath the outer surface.
In a further aspect, the present subject matter discloses a wind turbine rotor blade. The rotor blade may include a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip. The body may include a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge. Additionally, an ultraviolet light-reflective substance may define a pattern along at least a portion of the body.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a wind turbine;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of one of the rotor blades of the wind turbine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the rotor blade shown in FIG. 2 having an ultraviolet light-reflective substance disposed thereon;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of another embodiment of the rotor blade shown in FIG. 2 having an ultraviolet light-reflective substance disposed thereon and/or dispersed therein;

FIG. 5 illustrates a partial, cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the rotor blade shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 5-5; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a partial, cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the rotor blade shown in FIG. 4 taken along line 6-6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
In general, the present subject matter discloses a wind turbine rotor blade having an ultraviolet (UV) light-reflective substance disposed thereon and/or dispersed therein. For example, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance may comprise UV light-reflective tape attached to the outer surface of the rotor blade. In other embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance may comprise UV light-reflective paint, UV light-reflective materials, UV brighteners, UV reflectors and/or the like. Additionally, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance may be configured to define a pattern on the rotor blade. For instance, in one embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance may be configured to form a plurality of stripes extending in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges of the rotor blade.
By disposing and/or dispersing a UV light-reflective substance on and/or within the rotor blade, it is believed that the occurrence of bird strikes may be significantly reduced. Specifically, as is generally understood, most birds are tetrachromatic and, thus, are able to perceive light waves in the UV spectrum as a particular color. As such, the UV light-reflective substance disposed on and/or dispersed within the rotor blade may reflect UV light waves off the surface of the blade, thereby providing contrasting colors that may be perceived by a passing bird. For instance, a color contrast may be created between the perceived color of the reflected UV light and the perceived color of the rotor blade's background (e.g., the perceived color of the sky) and/or between the perceived color of the reflected UV light and the perceived color of the portion of the blade not reflecting UV light. Such color contrast may prevent and/or limit motion smear of the retinal-images perceived by a passing bird, thereby reducing the likelihood of the occurrence of a bird strike. Moreover, as will be described below, the use of UV light-reflective substances with rotor blades may also decrease erosion and/or environmental wear of the rotor blade, limit UV degradation of rotor blade coatings and/or the blade material and/or minimize thermal transients caused by exposure to UV radiation.
Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates perspective view of one embodiment of a wind turbine 10. The wind turbine 10 includes a tower 12 with a nacelle 14 mounted thereon. A plurality of rotor blades 16 are mounted to a rotor hub 18, which is, in turn, connected to a main flange that turns a main rotor shaft. The wind turbine power generation and control components are housed within the nacelle 14. It should be appreciated that the wind turbine 10 of FIG. 1 is provided for illustrative purposes only to place the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the present subject matter is not limited to any particular type of wind turbine configuration.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a perspective view of one of the rotor blades 16 shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As shown, the rotor blade 16 includes a blade root 20 configured for mounting the rotor blade 16 to the hub 18 of a wind turbine 10 (FIG. 1) and a blade tip 22 disposed opposite the blade root 20. A blade body 24 of the rotor blade 16 may extend lengthwise between the blade root 20 and the blade tip 22 and may generally serve as the outer shell of the rotor blade 16. As is generally understood, the blade body 24 may define an aerodynamic profile to enable the rotor blade 16 to capture kinetic energy from the wind using known aerodynamic principles. Thus, the blade body 24 may generally include a pressure side 26 and a suction side 28 extending between a leading edge 30 and a trailing edge 32. Additionally, the rotor blade 16 may have a span 34 defining the total length of the blade body 24 between the blade root 20 and the blade tip 22 and a chord 36 defining the total length of the blade body 24 between the leading edge 30 and the trailing edge 32. As is generally understood, the chord 36 may vary in length with respect to the span 34 as the blade body 24 extends from the blade root 20 to the blade tip 22.
As indicated above, the blade body 24 may generally define an aerodynamic profile or shape. For example, in several embodiments, the blade body 24 may define an airfoil shaped cross-section, such as by defining a symmetrical or cambered airfoil-shaped cross-section. In addition, the blade body 24 may also be aeroelastically tailored. Aeroelastic tailoring of the blade body 24 may entail bending of the body 24 in a generally chordwise direction and/or in a generally spanwise direction. The chordwise direction generally corresponds to a direction parallel to the chord 36. The spanwise direction generally corresponds to a direction parallel to the span 34. Aeroelastic tailoring may further entail twisting of the blade body 24, such as twisting of the body 24 in a generally chordwise and/or spanwise direction.
Additionally, in several embodiments, the blade body 24 may be formed as a single, unitary component. Alternatively, the blade body 24 may be formed from a plurality of shell components. For example, the blade body 24 may be manufactured from a first shell half (not shown) generally defining the pressure side 26 of the body 24 and a second shell half (not shown) generally defining the suction side 28 of the body 24, with such shell halves being secured to one another at the leading and trailing edges 30, 32. Moreover, it should be appreciated that the blade body 24 may be formed from any suitable blade material. For instance, in one embodiment, the blade body 24 may be formed from a composite material, such as a carbon fiber reinforced composite material or a glass fiber reinforced composite material. Alternatively, one or more portions of the blade body 24 may be configured as a layered construction and may include a core material, formed from a lightweight material such as wood (e.g., balsa), foam (e.g., extruded polystyrene foam) or a combination of such materials, disposed between layers of composite material.
It should also be appreciated that, in several embodiments, one or more coatings and/or layers of paint may be applied over the blade material of the blade body 24. In such embodiments, an outer surface 38 (FIG. 3) of the blade body 24 may generally be defined by the exterior surface of the outermost coating and/or the outermost layer of paint that has been applied to blade material. In alternative embodiments, the blade material may itself define the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24.
Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a perspective view of one embodiment of the rotor blade 16 shown in FIG. 2 having a UV light-reflective substance 40 (indicated by the cross-hatched portion of the rotor blade 16) disposed on the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24. In general, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may comprise any suitable substance known in the art that is capable of reflecting light waves within the UV spectrum (i.e., light waves having a wavelength ranging from about 100 nanometers (nm) to about 400 nm). For example, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may comprise UV-light reflective tape, UV light-reflective paint, UV light-reflective materials, UV brighteners, UV reflectors and/or the like. As such, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be used to reflect UV light waves off of and away from the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24, thereby creating a color contrast that may be perceived by a passing bird.
For instance, as shown in FIG. 3, the UV light-reflective substance 40 comprises UV light-reflective tape disposed on the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24. As used herein, the term “tape” refers not only to conventional tape materials (e.g., a backing material having an adhesive coating pre-applied thereon) but also to any materials that may be attached to a surface of the rotor blade 16 using a suitable adhesive and/or adhesive-like substance. Thus, in one embodiment, the UV light-reflective tape may comprise a UV light-reflective backing material having a suitable adhesive and/or adhesive-like substance pre-applied thereon that permits the backing material to be secured to the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24. Such UV light-reflective tapes are commercially available. Alternatively, the UV light-reflective tape may comprise a UV light-reflective material (e.g., a UV light-reflective vinyl material, a UV light-reflective film/sheet material, a UV light-reflective fabric and/or the like) configured to be attached to the rotor blade 16 using a suitable adhesive and/or adhesive-like substance, such as by applying the adhesive and/or adhesive-like substance to a portion of the UV light-reflective material and/or a portion of the outer surface 38 of the blade body 24 and then securing the UV light-reflective material onto the outer surface 38.
It should be appreciated that, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be attached and/or applied onto the rotor blade 16 so as to cover the entire outer surface 38 of the blade body 24. For instance, in one embodiment, the entire outer surface 38 may be covered with UV light-reflective tape, UV light-reflective paint and/or the like such that the entire rotor blade 16 may be perceived by passing birds as a particular color. In other embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be attached and/or applied onto the rotor blade 16 so as to only cover a portion of the outer surface 38, thereby creating a color contrast between the portions of the outer surface 38 covered by the UV light-reflective substance 40 and the remainder of the outer surface 38. Regardless, such a color contrast may assist passing birds in perceiving the rotor blades 16 as they rotate during operation of the wind turbine 10.
Additionally, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be disposed on the blade body 24 so as to define a pattern along the outer surface 38 of the body 24. For instance, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the UV light-reflective tape may be attached to the blade body 24 so as to form a plurality of stripes 42 extending along the outer surface 38. Specifically, as shown, the stripes 42 may be formed so as to extend in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges 30, 32 of the blade body 24, such as by extending fully across one or both of the pressure and/or suction sides 26, 28 (FIG. 2) of the blade body 24. Such chordwise extending stripes 42 may generally be used to create a clear color contrast between the portions of the outer surface 38 covered by the UV light-reflective substance 40 and the remainder of the outer surface 38, there preventing and/or limiting motion smear of the rotating blades 16.
It should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be disposed along the blade body 24 so as to form any other suitable pattern that provides a perceptible color contrast between the portions of the outer surface 38 covered by the UV light-reflective substance 40 and the remainder of the outer surface 38. For instance, on one embodiment, a plurality of stripes may be formed by the UV light-reflective substance 40 that extend in the spanwise direction, such as by extending fully or partially between the blade root 20 and the blade tip 22. In another embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be disposed on the outer surface 38 so as to form a plurality of stripes extending diagonally along the outer surface 38 (i.e., extending relative to the chordwise and spanwise directions at an angle that is less than 90 degrees and greater than 0 degrees). In a further embodiment, a plurality of stripes may be formed that extend in two or more directions so as to define a checkerboard or cross-hatched pattern along the outer surface 38.
It should also be appreciated that, in several embodiments, a different pattern may be formed on each wind turbine rotor blade 16. For instance, in the illustrated embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be attached and/or applied to the rotor blades 16 such that each rotor blade 16 includes chordwise extending stripes 42 that are disposed at differing spanwise locations than the chordwise extending stripes 42 of the remaining rotor blades 16 of the wind turbine 10. Alternatively, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be attached and/or applied to the rotor blades 16 so as to form the same exact pattern on each rotor blade 16.
Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a perspective view of another embodiment of the rotor blade 16 shown in FIG. 2, particularly illustrating the rotor blade 16 having a UV light-reflective substance 140 (indicated by the cross-hatched portion of the rotor blade 16) disposed on and/or dispersed within the blade body 24 so as to define a different pattern than that shown in FIG. 3. Specifically, as shown, the UV light-reflective substance 140 forms a plurality of stripes 142, with each stripe 142 extending in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges 30, 32 of the blade body 24. However, unlike the embodiment described above, the stripes 142 are only configured to extend in the chordwise direction partially between the leading and trailing edges 30, 32, such as by extending partially across one or both of the pressure and/or suction sides 26, 28 (FIG. 2) of the blade body 24.
In addition to the chordwise extending stripes 142 or as an alternative thereto, at least a portion of the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be disposed along the leading and/or trailing edges 30, 32 of the blade body 24. For instance, as shown in FIG. 4, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be disposed along the leading edge 30 of the blade body 24, such as by forming a spanwise stripe 144 along the leading edge 30 that extends either fully or partially between the blade root 20 and the blade tip 22. Alternatively, the UV light-reflective substance 40 may be disposed along at least a portion of the trailing edge 32 of the blade body 24 and/or along both the leading and trailing edges 30, 32 of the body 24.
Similar to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 3, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may, in some embodiments, be configured to be disposed on an outer surface 138 of the blade body 24. For instance, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may comprise UV light-reflective tape, UV light-reflective paint and/or the like configured to be attached and/or applied to the outer surface 138. Alternatively, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be configured to be disposed beneath the outer surface 138 of the blade body 24.
For example, FIG. 5 illustrates a partial, cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the rotor blade 16 shown in FIG. 4 taken about line 5-5, particularly illustrating the UV light-reflective substance 140 being disposed beneath the outer surface 138 of the blade body 24. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer surface 138 is defined by a transparent coating 146 covering both the UV light-reflective substance 140 and a blade material 148 of the blade body 24 (e.g., a composite material, such as a fiber and/or glass reinforced composite). As used herein, the term “transparent coating” means a blade coating that is capable of transmitting at least some light so that the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be seen fully or at least partially through the coating. Accordingly, at least a portion of the UV light waves transmitted through the transparent coating 146 may be reflected off the UV light-reflective substance 140 and back through the coating 146.
It should be appreciated that the transparent coating 146 may generally be formed using any suitable coating material known in the art. For example, in one embodiment, the transparent coating 146 may be formed using various suitable polymer coating materials (e.g., polyurethane coating materials) and/or the like. Alternatively, the transparent coating 146 may be formed using a transparent or clear tape material.
As shown in FIG. 5, the UV-light-reflective substance 140 may generally be disposed between the outer surface 138 defined by the transparent coating 146 and the blade material 148 of the blade body 24. In such an embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may generally comprise any suitable substance capable of reflecting at least a portion of the UV light waves transmitted through the transparent coating 146 back through such coating 146. For instance, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may comprise UV light-reflective tape, UV-light reflective paint, a UV light-reflective material (e.g., a UV reflective fabric) and/or the like
Additionally, as shown in FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be in direct contact with and/or may be disposed directly adjacent to an outer surface 150 of the blade material 148. However, it should be appreciated that, in alternative embodiments, one or more coatings and/or layers of paint (not shown) may be applied to the outer surface 150 of the blade material 148 and, thus, may be disposed between the UV light-reflective substance 140 and the blade material 148. In such an embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be positioned above such coating(s) and/or layer(s) of paint, with the transparent coating 146 being applied over the UV light-reflective substance 140.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a partial, cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the rotor blade 16 shown in FIG. 4 (taken about line 6-6) is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. As shown, similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the UV light-reflective substance 140 is disposed beneath a transparent coating 146 defining the outer surface 138 of the blade body 24. However, unlike the embodiment described above, the UV light-reflective substance 140 is incorporated into and dispersed within the blade material 138. Specifically, as shown in the illustrated embodiment, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be dispersed within a portion of the blade material 138, such as by being dispersed within the blade material 138 at and/or adjacent to the outer surface 150 of the blade material 148 (e.g., at a suitable location so as to form one of the stripes 142, 144 described above). Alternatively, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may be dispersed throughout all of the blade material 138. Regardless, the portion of the UV-light reflective substance 140 disposed at and/or adjacent to the outer surface 150 of the blade material 148 may permit UV light waves transmitted through the transparent coating 146 to be reflected back through the coating 146 and away from the rotor blade 16.
It should be appreciated that the UV light-reflective substance 140 shown in FIG. 6 may generally comprise any suitable UV light-reflective substance that may be incorporated into and dispersed throughout at least a portion of the blade material 148. For instance, in several embodiments, the UV light-reflective substance 140 may comprise UV reflectors (e.g., UV light-reflective particles, such as zinc-oxide particles, titanium oxide particles and/or the like) and/or UV brighteners (e.g., suitable UV pigments and/or optical brighteners, such as stilbenes, coumarines, imidazolines and/or other chemical brighteners). In such embodiments, it should be appreciated that the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners may be incorporated into the blade material 148 using any suitable means and/or method known in the art. For instance, in one embodiment, the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners may be mixed and/or infused within the matrix material (e.g., an epoxy resin) of the composite used to form the blade material 148.
It should also be appreciated that, in addition to dispersing UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners within the blade material 148 or as an alternative thereto, the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners may also be incorporated into and dispersed throughout the transparent coating 146. For example, in one embodiment, the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners may be mixed within the transparent coating 146 prior to its application onto the blade body 24. Alternatively, the transparent coating 146 may be applied over the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners in a manner similar to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 5. In a further embodiment, the UV reflectors and/or UV brighteners may be positioned on and/or within the transparent coating 146 after application of such coating 146 onto the blade body 24.
In general, it should be appreciated that the use of UV light- reflective substances 40, 140 as described herein may provide numerous advantages in addition to reducing the likelihood of bird strikes. For example, by reflecting UV light waves, the UV light- reflective substance 40, 140 may prevent and/or reduce UV degradation (e.g., cracking) of the blade material 148 and/or any coatings applied to the blade 16. In addition, the UV light- reflective substance 40, 140 may also limit thermal transients within the blade 16 that may be caused by the absorption of UV radiation within the blade body 24.
Moreover, further advantages may be provided when the UV light- reflective substance 40, 140 comprises UV light-reflective tape. Specifically, because UV light-reflective tape may be attached directly onto the outer surface 38, 138 of the blade body 24, the tape may be retrofitted onto existing rotor blades 16. Additionally, UV light-reflective tape may also be pre-formed and/or pre-cut into a tape blank, which may allow for quick and easy installation of the tape. For example, the UV light-reflective tape may be cut into a tape blank forming all or a portion of the pattern shown in FIG. 4, which may then be applied directly onto the blade body 24. Further, the use of UV light-reflective tape may also provide the rotor blade 16 protection against erosion (e.g., rain and hail erosion) and/or environmental wear. This may be particularly true for UV light-reflective tape disposed at and/or adjacent to the leading edge 30 of the blade body 24, which an area of the body 24 that is particularly susceptible to erosion and/or environmental wear.
It should also be appreciated that the use of the UV light-reflective substance 140 with the transparent coating 146 may also provide the rotor blade 16 protection against erosion (e.g., rain and hail erosion) and/or environmental wear.
Additionally, it should be appreciated that the color of the UV light-reflective substances that is perceivable to humans may be chosen so as to not be visually distracting. For instance, the human-perceivable color of the UV light-reflective substances may be the same as the color of the remainder of the blade (e.g., white). As such, while birds may be capable of perceiving the color contrast between the UV light-reflective substances and the remainder of the rotor blades, humans will perceive the rotor blade as having a single color.
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A wind turbine rotor blade, comprising:

a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip and including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge, the body defining an outer surface; and

an ultraviolet light-reflective tape disposed on the outer surface of the body.

2. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective tape only covers a portion of the outer surface of the body.

3. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective tape defines a pattern along the outer surface of the body.

4. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 3, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective tape forms a plurality of stripes extending along the outer surface of the body.

5. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 4, wherein the plurality of stripes extend in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges of the body.

6. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the ultraviolet light-reflective tape is disposed along at least a portion of the leading edge of the body.

7. A wind turbine rotor blade, comprising:

a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip and including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge;

a transparent coating defining an outer surface of the body; and

an ultraviolet light-reflective substance disposed beneath the outer surface.

8. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 7, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance is disposed between the outer surface and a blade material of the body.

9. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 8, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance comprises at least one of an ultraviolet light-reflective paint, an ultraviolet light-reflective tape and an ultraviolet light-reflective material.

10. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 7, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance comprises at least one of an ultraviolet reflector and an ultraviolet brightener.

11. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 10, wherein the at least one of the ultraviolet reflectors and the ultraviolet brighteners are dispersed within at least one of the transparent coating and a blade material of the body.

12. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 7, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance defines a pattern beneath the outer surface.

13. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 12, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance forms a plurality of stripes extending in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges of the body.

14. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 7, wherein at least a portion of the ultraviolet light-reflective substance is disposed along at least a portion of the leading edge of the body.

15. A wind turbine rotor blade, comprising:

a body extending between a blade root and a blade tip and including a pressure side and a suction side extending between a leading edge and a trailing edge; and

an ultraviolet light-reflective substance defining a pattern along at least a portion of the body.

16. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 15, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance forms a plurality of stripes extending along the at least a portion of the body.

17. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 16, wherein the plurality of stripes extend in a chordwise direction between the leading and trailing edges of the body.

18. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 15, wherein the body defines an outer surface, the ultraviolet light-reflective substance being disposed on the outer surface.

19. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 15, further comprising a transparent coating defining an outer surface of the body, the ultraviolet light-reflective substance being disposed beneath the outer surface.

20. The wind turbine rotor blade of claim 15, wherein the ultraviolet light-reflective substance comprises at least one of an ultraviolet light-reflective paint, an ultraviolet light-reflective tape, an ultraviolet light-reflective material, an ultraviolet reflector and an ultraviolet brightener.