Centrifugally driven aerodynamic rotor blade brake assembly

A method of slowing the rotation of a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the rotor blade having a forward leading and an aft trailing edge and including opposing spoiler plates pivotally connected to the rotor blade near the leading edge and linked to each other and to a first end of a driving member by a linkage assembly, the spoiler plates able to assume a deployed position by pivoting away from each other near the trailing edge, and a second end of the driving member being linked to an actuator within the rotor blade that can move proximally toward or distally away from an axis of rotation of the rotor blade, the method comprising:

• maintaining a position of the actuator at a first location and the driving member at a forward location that keeps the spoiler plates from assuming a deployed position when the rotor blade has a rotational speed below a pre-determined value;
• moving the actuator to a second location distal to the first location and the driving member toward an aft location when the rotor blade reaches a rotational speed greater than the pre-determined value, or when a fault condition related to the wind turbine arises;
• deploying the spoiler plates as the actuator moves from the first to the second location;
• and
• slowing the rotational speed of the rotor blade.