Contrary to popular belief, wind turbines are mostly recyclable. The problem is the wind turbine blades, which are mostly not. Now that the first gene

Elegant Wind Turbine Blades Made Of Wood Can Outperform Composites

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2024-05-05 03:30:02

Contrary to popular belief, wind turbines are mostly recyclable. The problem is the wind turbine blades, which are mostly not. Now that the first generation of modern, non-recyclable blades is reaching the end of useful life, the race is on to find more sustainable materials for the coming generations. Wood is among the new materials in the running, and it could offer better performance as well as making a contribution to the circular economy of the future.

The Intertubes have been buzzing with news about the “world’s first” wind turbine blades made of wood. The 19.3-meter blades were installed on an existing wind turbine earlier this week near the city of Kassel in in Breuna, Germany.

CleanTechnica checked it out, and the new blades — from the German firm Voodin Blade Technologies — do appear to be the first turbine blades of their kind in the modern era. Historically speaking, though, the wooden blade picture is a bit more elaborate. Wind energy has been put to work spinning the blades of wooden windmills for thousands of years. In addition to processing grain, wood-bladed windmills are also commonly used for pumping water.

Of course, a windmill is not the same thing as a modern wind turbine. Windmills deploy wind energy mechanically. Wind turbines convert it to electricity, which explains why wind turbine technology is only about as old as the age of electricity.