We build wind turbine towers.
In wood.

The equation for wind power is quite simple: Bigger is better. To be able to harness more wind energy at a cheaper price one of the best ways to reduce cost is to build taller.  The winds are stronger, the turbine becomes more effective and the energy produced is more cost-efficient.

But with higher towers come big challenges – in production, transport and assembly – that the industry needs to overcome. That’s where Modvion comes in. We have the solution and the know-how to build tall wind power towers made of wood.

As wind towers have risen above 100 metres in height, transportation poses considerable problems, not least that the base diameters exceed the limit for transport width in most parts of the USA and the EU. Our modular concept means the towers are delivered to site in – tada – modules! A bit like IKEA for wind turbine towers.

Although the market would like to build taller towers, the cost of building tall towers in traditional materials is too expensive. The extra height squeezes the margins to the point that energy producers end up choosing shorter, less-efficient, towers.

Our solution uses engineered wood that is lighter although as strong as steel. That means extra height no longer comes with expensive reinforcements or maintenance. Building higher finally becomes both more efficient and cost-effective. In fact, using a wooden modular solution only becomes more beneficial the higher you go.

Modvion towers are built from laminated wood, making the CO₂ emissions for the tower component negative. Meaning our towers reduce the carbon footprint for the whole turbine by more than 25%. Conventional towers make up the biggest share of CO₂ emissions from wind power. With steel and concrete responsible for 15% of global CO2 emissions*, changing from these emission-intensive materials has a huge impact.

The life cycle emissions from a 110m tall wind turbine tower of steel is approximately 1 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The corresponding tower in wood emits 90% less emissions, which means around 125 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The wood is also storing carbon and therefore acts as a carbon sink. When you take that into account, the tower stores more CO2 than it emits.

*Source: New York Times