A wooden wind turbine blade sounds like a step back in time.
A €48.2 million EU grant suggests it could be a step forward.
A consortium including German startup Voodin Blade Technology has received the funding to build its first industrial-scale factory in Navarra, Spain. Voodin has already installed 19.3-meter prototype blades on an existing wind turbine.
From 2031, the factory is expected to produce up to 160 sets of wooden rotor blades per year, with blade lengths ranging from 20 to 90 meters.
Most modern rotor blades are made from fiberglass and carbon-fiber composites. These materials combine strength with relatively low weight, but are difficult to recycle.
The wooden blades, however, are made from laminated veneer lumber. This material consists of thin layers of wood bonded together to provide the strength and stiffness required for a rotor blade.
Instead of forming each blade in a specially built mold, the laminated wood is produced directly into the required shape. The same production line can therefore produce different blade sizes and designs.
According to the EU project factsheet, the mold-free production process is expected to reduce capital investment by approximately 54% compared with traditional blade manufacturing.
The ambition is to match the performance of conventional blades while providing a practical route to recycling at the end of their service life.
