A sustainable supply chain for wind turbine blades is being pursued by rotor blade developer Voodin Blades and timber supplier Stora Enso.

Thousands of wind turbine blades manufactured with fiberglass and carbon fiber are reaching their end ofSource: Stora Enso service life and are destined for landfills. Increased reliance on sustainable wood to fabricate these components is expected to yield lighter-weight blades without depending on fossil fuels and petrochemical products for their synthesis.

The partners are currently designing a 20 m blade composed of laminated veneer lumber, a material with sufficient load-bearing capacity to support large-scale rotary blades. This timber product is relatively lightweight to transport on-site and has a minimal carbon footprint. The new wood-based blade will be installed on a 0.5 MW turbine near Warburg, Germany, by the end of 2022.

Project plans also envision the near-term design and development of an 80 m wooden blade.