Wooden revolution: Eco‑friendly turbine blades launched in Germany

Wind energy opponents often raise the issue of difficulties in recycling wind turbine blades. The German company Voodin Blade Technology has decided to solve this problem by introducing wooden blades. The first ones have already been mounted on a turbine.

Although wind power plants allow the production of cheap and clean electricity, they have a significant drawback: the recycling of turbine blades. Standard blades are tricky to recycle, so they are either buried or stored in hopes that scientists will develop a method for their reuse. There is also the idea of using parts of the blades as architectural and construction elements. Scientists from Gdańsk University of Technology are among those working on reusing blades.

The German company Voodin Blade Technology is taking a different approach to solving the problem of recycling turbine blades. It plans to introduce fully recycled wood wind turbine blades.

According to interestingengineering.com, the first blades from Voodin Blade Technology were installed in May. The 19-metre-long blades were installed on a wind turbine at a wind farm in Breuna, central Germany.

Wooden blades may be cheaper and more environmentally friendly than their plastic counterparts. They are made from laminated veneer lumber and machined by CNC routers without special moulds. The company claims this is an efficient and inexpensive production method and allows for the creation of blades in any shape.

There may be more benefits associated with wooden wind turbine blades. First and foremost, there is a good chance that they can be produced closer to the farms, reducing the transportation costs associated with building these farms.

Jorge Castillo, co-founder of Voodin Blade Technology, reported that the company had conducted numerous laboratory tests over two years to demonstrate that wooden blades could be competitive with traditional fibreglass blades.

According to Castillo, the tests showed that wooden blades are more durable than those made of fibreglass, as they have fewer fatigue properties and withstand all weather conditions on land very well.

Voodin plans to build larger blades, intending to reach lengths of 60 and 80 metres, which could be used in larger power plants.