Photo: Freepik
Modvion is building on the success of its record-breaking wood-based wind turbine tower built in 2023 by raising the bar another 16 meters.
The Sweden-based company has received design certification for its tallest engineered-wood tower to date, measuring 119 meters tall, according to IEEE Spectrum.
It was designed to support a 6.4-megawatt turbine from Danish company Vestas, although it won’t actually be built. It was a proof-of-concept effort as the company shifts its focus to building wind turbines that should reach nearly 170 meters tall by 2027.
Engineered wood has seen renewed interest as a building material due to its strength, light weight, and low-emission profile. It’s made by binding sawdust, wood fibers, and even entire planks with adhesive, IEEE Spectrum explained.
The result can be considerably stronger than standard timber and even challenge steel at a certain scale due to its high strength-to-weight ratio. Plus, it can be manufactured as smaller modules, which helps reduce transportation challenges.
The versatile material has also been used to build data centers, satellites, and high-rise buildings, demonstrating its potential across various sectors.
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“Wood is the original high-performance construction material, and in the past 100 years, I think it’s been underutilized,” Modvion’s CEO Erik Dölerud told the outlet.
“When you think about it, a tree has evolved through millions of years to carry load and survive wind so it’s not difficult to envision that it’s a pretty suitable material for this type of application.”
There are also strong environmental benefits to using engineered wood. According to the Research Institutes of Sweden, constructing towers from the material produces 90% fewer lifetime emissions than steel, as IEEE Spectrum shared.
The building and construction industry is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, per the United Nations, mainly attributed to cement and steel. Durable wood structures can lead to a shift to more sustainable construction materials.
Wind electricity generation had a record year for installations in 2024, reaching 117 gigawatts, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. In order to reach climate goals that align with COP28 agreements, global renewable capacity needs to triple by 2030, showing a growing market for new turbines.
Although steel turbine tower modules can be made from smaller segments, the number of bolts to be assembled, inspected, and regularly checked makes that design prohibitive.
Modvion’s product is in direct competition with steel turbine construction for cost, but for towers above 150 meters, Dölerud believes the company could become cost-competitive.
“Maybe we are able to optimize a lot this new technology when we are in full-scale production, and then we can start to try to compete in the tubular steel market as well,” he said. “But this is not our primary focus at this stage.”
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Engineers build record-breaking wind turbine with material no one saw coming: ‘It’s not difficult to envision’ first appeared on The Cool Down.
Source: msn
