New wind turbines will test out the world’s longest wooden blades

Two companies aim to install over 164-foot-long blades as early as next year.

Two companies are partnering to tackle one of the wind energy industry’s most persistent challenges—and they may set a world record in the process. On Monday, the equipment manufacturer Senvion and Voodin Blade Technology announced plans to research and test turbine prototypes made using the world’s longest wooden blades.

Wind farms are critical to building better energy grids, but most turbines still come with a hefty catch. Once decommissioned, their massive metal blades often simply end up in landfills—and those that do make it to recycling facilities generate large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions while being broken down. While some potential solutions are already in the works, the German company, Voodin Blade Technology, has spent years designing an alternative that circumvents the issue entirely thanks to giant, wooden turbine blades.

“This strategic collaboration represents a major step forward in tackling one of the wind industry’s biggest challenges—blade recyclability—by integrating engineered wood, a renewable and recyclable material, into turbine blade design,” reads Senvion’s February 3rd project announcement.

Voodin’s blades are constructed with laminated veneer lumber (LVL), a popular, lightweight engineered wood capable of supporting large loads. First developed in the 1980s, LVL is manufactured by using adhesives to bind multiple, thin layers of wood under very controlled conditions. The resulting construction material is much stronger than plywood, while also resistant to warping, bowing, or shrinking.

As Recharge explained on Wednesday, LVL products have a similar stiffness-to-weight ratio as the glass fiber frequently used in current turbine blades. The durability may also make them candidates for wind turbine towers, as well.