The first recyclable windmill made of wood will soon be available in Germany
The Finnish company Stora Enso has developed a wind turbine made of wood together with the German start-up Voodin Blade. By the end of 2022, a plant with turbine blades made of laminated veneer lumber should be in Warburg, Lower Saxony.
A long-term switch to sustainable energy sources requires environmentally friendly materials and structures. When it comes to wind turbines, however, current wind turbines are hardly recyclable. This is a fact that could soon change thanks to new manufacturing methods.
Another innovative approach is now coming from Scandinavia. Because the Finnish company Stora Enso has with the German start-up Voodin Blade Technology teamed up to develop a windmill made of wood. The production takes place step by step. A first system with 20 meter long rotor blades is to be built in Warburg by the end of the year.
Windmill made of wood with a height of 80 meters
But it shouldn’t stop there. If the turbine blades can drive the 0.5 megawatt system, larger rotor blades will follow. These should have a length of 80 meters and accelerate the switch to sustainable alternatives. Because the new structures are significantly lighter, can be easily transported and recycled at the end of their service life.
Stora Enso processes the wood and also sells it to other companies. A partnership with the Swedish company Modvion made possible the first wooden windmill on an island not far from Gothenburg. The generation of energy in the future is therefore no longer necessarily dependent on fossil raw materials.
The energy generation of the future requires a rethink
The example shows that a rethink is currently taking place. Because while a few years ago the focus was still on expanding wind power by all means, the topic of sustainability is now relevant over the entire life cycle. Otherwise gigantic mountains of rubbish will soon pile up in front of us.
Stora Enso is pursuing ambitious goals with the wooden wind turbines and wants to become more relevant in this sector in the long term. The upcoming pilot projects will have to show whether this works. However, it will probably take some time before gigantic systems with a diameter of several hundred meters are reached.
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