Voodin Blade Technology became the world's first company to install wood-based wind turbines, according to an article published in Interesting Engineering.
The German company uses laminated veneer lumber, a wood-based laminate that is 100% biodegradable. Until now, renewable energy companies have used fiberglass and other synthetic materials to construct wind turbine blades.
While wind energy is a cleaner alternative to non-renewable energy sources, manufacturing and disposing of synthetic blades still pose an environmental challenge. Fiberglass and synthetic wind turbines are not totally recyclable and typically end up as waste in landfills.
Most synthetic turbine blades have a lifespan of about 20-25 years, and after this time frame, they are typically buried in the ground, encouraging the release of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.
On the other hand, wood-based laminate is more sustainable due to its ability to naturally break down into the environment.
"At the end of their lifecycle, most blades are buried in the ground or incinerated. This means that—at this pace—we will end up with 50 million tonnes (about 55 millions U.S. tons) of blade material waste by 2050," said Tom Siekmann, CEO at Voodin Blade Technology, per Interesting Engineering. "With our solution, we want to help green energy truly become as green as possible."
According to tests done by Voodin, the wood-based wind blades are more durable than fiberglass turbines and perform better in offshore weather conditions.Â
Switching to renewable energy sources helps decrease the amount of planet-warming pollution that ends up in the atmosphere while also conserving the globe's natural resources. By replacing non-renewable energy sources with wind turbines, wind energy companies can help reduce the globe's total carbon pollution.
Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, also save homeowners money down the road by reducing electricity costs. Additionally, technological advancements, such as Voodin's wood-based blades, are helping decrease the total cost of wind energy.
In the case of Voodin's wood-based turbines, manufacturing and transportation costs have been reduced due to process automation and the possibility of local production.
Improvements in the renewable energy industry are paving the way toward a more sustainable future across the globe.
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