Wind turbine bioplastic can be recycled into gummy bears
CategoriesSustainable News

Wind turbine bioplastic can be recycled into gummy bears

Spotted:  While wind power currently represents 6 per cent of global electricity production, one major obstacle to overcome is the disposal of decommissioned turbines. Most turbine blades are made of fiberglass, which is difficult to recycle. As a result, tens of thousands of discarded blades find their way into landfills every year. Now, Michigan State University may have found a solution to this problem. Researchers there have developed a new turbine blade material that can be easily recycled at the end of its life span. 

By combining glass fibres with a plant-derived polymer and a synthetic one, Dr. John Dorgan, Ph.D., and colleagues have developed a thermoplastic resin that can be recast into new products.

To recycle panels made from the new resin, the team dissolved the used composite in fresh monomer, physically removing the glass fibres. They were then able to recast the material into new composite sheets, making new blades with the same physical properties as their predecessors.

In addition, the team’s work suggests that other applications for recycled carbon fibre composites may be possible. For example, the researchers found that digesting the resin in an alkaline solution produced potassium lactate, which is commonly used in sweets and sports drinks. The potassium lactate could even be used to make the gummy bears beloved by children around the world.

“The beauty of our resin system is that at the end of its use cycle, we can dissolve it, and that releases it from whatever matrix it’s in so that it can be used over and over again in an infinite loop,” explains Dorgan, representing the team at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The next step is for the researchers to build test turbine blades using the material. As for potential food-grade uses, the question is whether the public will be willing to eat something that was once used for such a clearly non-edible application. Dorgan’s response is that a carbon atom is a carbon atom regardless of where it comes from.

As wind turbines become more prevalent and the problem of their disposal becomes more apparent, Springwise has covered other methods for recycling wind turbine blades. These include a recyclable composite innovation turning turbine blades into snowsports equipment, and the UK’s first turbine blade recycling project.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Email: jd@egr.msu.edu

Website: msu.edu

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A new onshore turbine for quieter wind power
CategoriesSustainable News

A new onshore turbine for quieter wind power

Spotted: Wind manufacturing world leader Nordex Group has installed its first turbine in the 6-megawatt class at an onshore wind project in the Netherlands. Among other benefits, the new model is much quieter than its predecessors – reducing the impact on the local area.

The turbine—known as the N163/6.X—was launched in September 2021 as the latest upgrade from Nordex‘s Delta4000 series. Compared to its sister model in the 5-megawatt class, it is able to produce an up to 7 per cent higher annual energy yield thanks to its much higher rated output. Thanks to its flexible configuration, it can be adapted to the specific conditions at each project site, resulting in a tailor-made solution for each client. The design’s lifetime is 25 years, with an extended 35-year lifetime available for specific sites.

Nordex has installed a total wind power capacity of more than 32 gigwatts in over 40 worldwide markets since it was founded in 1985. Among its hosts are Germany, Spain, Brazil, India, Mexico, and the United States.

José Luis Blanco, CEO Nordex Group explains that, “Our turbines in the Delta4000 series are based on a standard technical platform. Consistent modularisation means that type-specific components, such as rotor blades or gearboxes, can be adapted for different variants. The N163/6.X is yet another example of how highly efficient solutions that have proved successful in practice can be specifically implemented for special geographic regions.”

Nordex installed its first N163/6.X in May 2022, and it’s expected that the model will be one of the most popular turbines on the market due to its low noise pollution levels.

The amount of wind energy generated worldwide grew by 17 per cent between 2020 and 2021. Recent wind power innovations spotted by Springwise include a wooden wind turbine that stores carbon, a sensor that monitors the strength and efficiency of wind turbine blades, and a two-bladed floating turbine that can handle almost any weather condition.

Written By: Katrina Lane

Website: nordex-online.com

Contact: nordex-online.com/en/contact-form

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Wooden wind turbines store carbon
CategoriesSustainable News

Wooden wind turbines store carbon

Spotted: Today, most wind turbine towers are made of tubular steel. But a partnership is promoting a surprising alternative: wood. Laminated veneer lumber (known as ‘LVL’) is a material made up of stacked layers of thin wood. Pound for pound it is stronger than steel, and Finnish LVL producer Stora Enso is teaming up with Modvion – a company that uses the engineered wood product to make next-generation turbine towers.

Modvion’s towers are built in lightweight modules. This approach has two key benefits from an engineering and construction perspective. First, the modular design makes it possible to build taller towers that can reach stronger winds, leading to more cost-efficient energy production. And second, the modules can be easily transported on public roads – without the need for permits or road reconstructions.

But perhaps the most compelling reason for making the switch from steel to LVL is the sustainability benefits of using a wood-based material. Wood is a renewable resource, and using it reduces the carbon dioxide emissions associated with the turbine tower by 90 per cent. Moreover, using wood as a construction material locks away the carbon dioxide absorbed by the tree during its lifetime for the long term.

“The commitment of Stora Enso to replace fossil-based materials with renewables is a perfect match for Modvion,” explains Otto Lundman, CEO of Modvion. “To solve the climate crisis, we need more renewable energy as well as increased use of sustainable, wooden constructions,” he adds.

Springwise has spotted several recent innovations that use wood as a construction material. These include a skyscraper made from cross-laminated timber, a wall system made from waste wood, and engineered wooden walls strong enough to replace all above-ground steel and concrete.

Words: Matthew Hempstead

Email: info@modvion.com

Website: modvion.com

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A sensor monitors the strength and efficiency of wind turbine blades
CategoriesSustainable News

A sensor monitors the strength and efficiency of wind turbine blades

Spotted: Considered a cost-efficient source of renewable energy, wind farms are under near-constant pressure to produce more power as quickly as possible. To help meet the demand, designers and manufacturers are working to create ever longer blades. While the longer blades produce more power, they also require additional maintenance. Current monitoring systems are not built to track the full length of the world’s largest blades, and updated materials technologies are also adding complexity to such oversight, with designs that bend more and in multiple directions.

One company seeking to provide a smart solution to the growth of the industry is Porto and Rotterdam-based Fibersail. Fibersail is piloting its shape-sensing wind turbine blade monitoring system in five European locations. The shape sensor tracks the full shape and curvature of each blade, identifying the most efficient positions for each turbine.

The continuous monitoring also provides owners and maintenance managers with the means to detect when a part is working below capacity – much earlier than is currently possible. Rotor and blade loads are adjustable—depending on weather conditions and local needs—and the system helps calculate the volume of production that maximises the lifetime capacity of each turbine.

A recent funding round is helping the startup to expand its team, and the company is seeking industry partners for further pilot sites.

Other recent wind power innovations that Springwise has spotted include home turbine systems and a forecasting system for renewable energy that helps producers match supply and demand. 

Written by: Keely Khoury

Email: info@fibersail.com

Website: fibersail.com

Reference

Turning wind, water, and air into green fuel
CategoriesSustainable News

Turning wind, water, and air into green fuel

Spotted: At the very bottom of Chile, not far from Antarctica, is the wild and rugged region of Magallanes. Known for the constancy and strength of its wind, the area has traditionally supported a variety of farms along with a sizeable tourism industry. But now, Chile’s largest and southernmost region has been chosen as the setting for an innovative, $55 million (€50.6 million) facility that is exploring the commercialisation of synthetic fuel.

The project—called ‘Haru Oni’—is an initiative of startup Highly Innovative Fuels (HIF). The first-of-its-kind facility is designed to convert three ingredients, wind, water, and air, into a green fuel that could play an important role in the energy revolution.

The project combines the products of two separate processes: electrolysis and carbon capture. In the first, an on-site wind turbine produces an electric current that separates hydrogen from water. In the second, carbon dioxide is captured from atmospheric air and industrial sources. The CO2 and hydrogen are then combined to create a fuel that can be used in a range of everyday applications.

The process is billed by the company as ‘carbon neutral’, and two features in particular earn it this label. First, the hydrogen produced at the site is ‘green hydrogen’, as the electricity used to power the process comes from renewable wind energy that does not emit any carbon. Second, because the CO2 used to create the fuel is ‘recycled’ from the atmosphere, when the fuel is ultimately burned the CO2 released is not ‘new’. Instead, burning the fuel merely returns CO2 captured at the start of the process back into the atmosphere. This contrasts with the burning of fossil fuels which releases carbon that had previously been stored in the earth for millions of years.

The facility remains under construction and is due to begin production later in the year. Once up and running, the company says the site is capable of manufacturing 130,000 litres of fuel per year. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will monitor the volumes of carbon captured and produced in order to verify the project’s carbon neutrality. 

Synthetic fuels are an important area of innovation, and Springwise has spotted several similar processes, such as an integrated process that turns hydrogen and CO2 into aviation fuel, a Canadian facility that creates fuel from thin air, and an eKerosene plant in Germany that will produce up to eight barrels per day in 2022.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Email: contacto@hif.cl

Website: hif.cl/en

Reference

A new design for at-home wind turbines
CategoriesSustainable News

A new design for at-home wind turbines

Spotted: For homeowners looking to power their house with renewable energy, wind power offers a more efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to solar panels. But while solar panels on domestic homes are an increasingly common sight in urban and suburban areas, far fewer houses are installed with wind turbines.

To reverse this situation, UK engineer Joe Garrett has developed the AuraGen – a new vertical axis wind turbine designed to be mounted on homes and commercial buildings. The AuraGen’s unique design aims to minimise a phenomenon called ‘dynamic stall’ where factors such as wind shear and turbulence place a heavy load on turbine blades – reducing their lifespan. Moreover, the design is simple—reducing maintenance requirements—and offers good power performance.

The new turbine is omni-directional, which means it works no matter which way the wind is blowing, and the technology is tailored to work most effectively on pitched roofs. In fact, the shape of the roof enhances the turbine’s performance, acting like an aerofoil to increase the velocity of air going through the turbine.

A frame is used to directly attach the turbine to the roof. This is an important benefit as, by using the height of the house, the design does not require a tall support structure. This increases stability, meaning that the turbine itself can be wider, leading to greater power generation.

Compared to solar panels, wind turbines have a much higher power density and can operate at night. This latter point means that the AuraGen could potentially be used to charge electric vehicles overnight.

The idea for the AuraGen came to Garrett as a teenager when he worked on scaffolding and rooftops with his dad. He told Springwise that his experiences working in the wind stuck with him and gave him the idea for a roof-mounted wind turbine. Thanks to the AuraGen design, Garrett received recognition as a winner of this year’s UK Young Innovators Awards.

The AuraGen is not the only domestic wind power solution spotted by Springwise. Another designer has developed a wind turbine ‘wall’ that can be tailored to the aesthetic of each home.  Springwise has also spotted a portable wind turbine weighing only 10 kilogrammes.

Written By: Matthew Hempstead

Website: ktn-uk.org/programme/young-innovators/

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