German company Voodin Blade Technology developed wind turbine blades made of wood.

Conventional wind turbine blades are made of a composite of fibreglass and carbon fibres that is very hard to recycle. 78 per cent of the waste blades are simply submerged in the ground. In 2050, we will have 50 million tons of blade waste.

The blades of Voodin are made of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) that are cheaper and generate almost 80 per cent less CO2 emissions than conventional blades. LVL has a high load bearing capacity and is relatively lightweight. The blades are a result from a collaboration with Stora Enso, one of the largest forestry companies in the world.

In 2024, a pilot will start in which they install a 20m mass timber blade on a 0.5 MW turbine from 1997, of which the blades need to be replaced. Later next year, they aim to make blades of 70 to 80 m for a 6 MW wind turbine. For now, Voodin focuses on on-shore wind turbines, since wood is not a great match with the water and salt that off-shore turbines face.

Stora Enso also collaborates with the Swedish Modvion, which produces wooden wind turbine towers. You can read more about this here.

Images: Voodin Blades / Kiel Oliver Maier