Wooden towers offer turbine-makers a step to net-zero

Modvion has installed its first wooden wind turbine tower in Sweden, claiming that its technology could provide cost and carbon reductions across the wind power sector on a commercial scale as early as 2022. The tower was erected last week on Bjorko outside Gothenburg, standing 30 meters high, and will be initially used for research purposes concerning its design by the Swedish Wind Power Technology Center. Later this year, the tower will become home to a 40 kW demonstration turbine. Modvion’s towers are constructed from laminated spruce made up of many 4 millimeter layers, with the initial proof of concept built in partnership with Moelven, under the premise that wood has a greater strength per unit weight than steel –…