It’s cheaper and stronger than steel; now Modivon has received approval to build the world’s largest wooden turbine out of wood – at more than 219 metres – after a third-party certifier confirmed that the new technology could support turbines ranging from 4.2MW to 6.3MW.
First reported in September 2023 – when it successfully constructed a 105-metre-high turbine of laminated veneer lumber – Otto Lundman, Modvion’s CEO, said timber construction “enables us to build higher towers at a lower cost,” which “makes wind power more efficient since winds are stronger and more stable higher up.”
Using laminated veneer lumber supplied by Metsa Wood – Modvion can build thicker walls to deliver greater strength per weight relative to steel; meaning the new wooden turbine towers can deliver surprising upsides over steel towers. With a higher strength-to-weight ratio, the new towers do not need extra reinforcement – and unlike steel towers, held together with thousands of bolts, the timber towers will be bound together with glue. Moreover, at the end of its service life – about 25 years – the turbines can be dismantled and reused as high-strength beams in the construction industry, thus helping to drive the circular economy.
“Having this stamp of approval for one of the largest onshore turbines available is a great leap forward. Our modular wind turbines dramatically reduce CO2 emissions (about 90%) by replacing steel and concrete with wood, whilst enabling highly efficient, tallest installations, all without transport bottlenecks.”
Otto Lundman, Modvion’s CEO, on the importance of the certification for the development of giant wind turbines built from wood and not steel.
Wood Central understands that the design evaluation was completed by TUV SUD, with the conformity statement officially handed out late last month (February 28). The design evaluation is based on a full review of the technical data and testing methodology and confirms that the design meets the international quality standards IECRE OD-501 in combination with OD-501-3.
“The tower design meets all the requirements from the industry and has been thoroughly tested,” said Stephen Mayer, Head of Support Structures on and offshore at TUV SUD. “We look forward to a continued collaboration with Modvion to bring wind turbine towers made of wood to the European market.”
It comes after Wood Central last month reported that giant all-timber and fully recyclable blades – more than 50 metres in size – could tower over turbines from late 2026, marking a massive shake-up for the US $100 billion-plus wind market. That is, according to Voodin Blade Technology, a German start-up that tested the world’s first blade made from Stora-Enso laminated veneer lumber (LVL) – a material with a similar stiffness-to-weight ratio to fibreglass that make blades thrive under all weather conditions.
Voodin is teaming up with Senvion, who will trial the blades on its 4.2MW turbine platform – a partnership that “brings our technology to a new scale,” according to Tom Siekmann, Voodin Blade Technology’s CEO – which eliminates the need for moulds, cuts energy consumption in production and slashes CAPEX costs in blade construction.
- To learn more about how laminated veneer lumber is already used to construct the base of wind turbines, the engineering behind the turbines and why wind energy could become the largest consumer of laminated veneer lumber, visit Wood Central’s special features.
