Sweden’s Modvion is about to land a contract with RWE Renewables to manufacture wooden wind turbines. The latter would be dedicated to some of the future onshore wind farms of the German energy giant.
It blows like a little breeze back to basics on the wind sector. Accustomed to advanced alloys and the most modern materials, wind turbines are on the way to returning (at least in part) to wooden construction under the impetus of Modvion, a Swedish startup that strongly believes in this “traditional” material used for old mills.
A wooden wind turbine already erected in Sweden
As reminded Electrek, Modvion erected its very first wooden wind turbine in May 2020 on an island off Gothenburg in southern Sweden. It must integrate a first commercial turbine this year, developing 2 megawatts thanks to an installation culminating at 150 meters from the ground, blades included. Thereafter, Modvion hopes to be able to switch to an installation offering this time up to 6 megawatts of power, we learn.
In the meantime, the Swedish subsidiary of RWE Renewables has signed a letter of intent aimed at ” check Modvion’s technology and its wooden wind turbines for use when commercialized, reports Electrek. If validated, this agreement should notably help RWE to achieve its objective of carbon neutrality by 2040.
© Modvion
Helping RWE achieve carbon neutrality by 2040
For the energy giant, the use of wooden wind turbines has several advantages, starting with the solidity of this material. According to RWE experts, laminated wood is stronger than steel in proportion to its weight. Understand that wooden wind turbines are lighter and less subject to costly reinforcement work after installation.
It is also possible to combine a wooden tower with a more classic steel turbine; and these wooden structures also have the merit of being designed in a modular way. This makes them much easier to transport compared to steel wind turbines. Last but not least, the use of these wind turbines quite logically reduces carbon emissions compared to the use of steel and concrete.
” We find that modular laminated wood towers have significant market potential and can help reduce the cost of renewable electricity generation by replacing steel and concrete with wood, which is environmentally and climate friendly. commented RWE Renewables. ” RWE to assess Modvion’s wooden tower for potential use in future wind farms “.
Source : Electrek
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