The modules are efficiently produced in a factory where LVL-boards go in and modules come out. The modules are then stacked on ordinary lorries and easily transported to chosen site.
Meny
Meny
A major challenge with building tall wind turbine towers is logistics: How do you get such gigantic structures in place? As the towers get taller, the logistical challenge increases. Modvion has a patented solution, which enables transport on ordinary roads, with ordinary trucks. For us, bridges, tunnels, and winding roads are no problem.
Laminated wood has three huge benefits compared to steel: Wood has a higher specific strength which enables a lighter construction. High steel towers need extra enforcement to carry their own weight – which wooden towers don’t need. And finally, modular steel towers demand a vast number of bolts that need regular inspections while our modular wooden towers are joined together with glue.
The modules are efficiently produced in a factory where LVL-boards go in and modules come out. The modules are then stacked on ordinary lorries and easily transported to chosen site.
On site a small crane can assemble the sections and stack them into segments. Now we are ready for an efficient mounting by a large crane. Finally, the turbine is lifted into place and the blades are mounted. Then - let it blow, let it blow, let it blow.
Our towers, like steel towers, have a surface coating that ensures protection throughout the tower’s commercial life. The humidity buffering properties of the solid wooden wall and continuous monitoring ensures a stable environment for the tower's load bearing structure.
After the technical life of the turbine is over the tower will be dismounted and the tower wall can be reused as high-strength beams for the building industry. In that way carbon can be stored for hundreds of more years! We like to see our towers as vertical storage of future building material. And storage of carbon, of course.
Steel is very strong per volume, so steel is a good choice when strength per volume is one of the main constraints. However, wind turbine towers are essentially empty inside so there is room to increase the volume by making the walls thicker. The Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) material in a Modvion tower has higher strength per weight and higher strength per cost than steel alternatives. It is not only a better alternative for today’s towers but as turbines develop further towards even larger capacity and taller towers, the benefits of wood increase even further. It’s what you might call future proof.
Wood burns easily if circumstances allow it. However, it is very difficult to cause a solid log to ignite – it’s too dense. In solid wood constructions, the side exposed to an adjacent fire would only start to char and at a very predictable and controllable rate. At high temperatures steel becomes soft, so wood actually holds its structural integrity for longer than steel.
Modvion’s towers are coated with a thick paint, making them watertight. This creates a controlled volume of air on the inside that interacts with the solid wood volume. The stable system keeps a healthy margin towards any humidity issues.
We design the tower in accordance with the turbine manufacturers specifications, which is normally 25-30 years. The lifetime of a wooden tower exceeds the lifetime of the mechanical parts of the wind turbine.
Yes. The first towers manufactured will be used in onshore projects, but with minor adaptations LVL-towers from Modvion will also reduce climate emissions offshore.
Yes. There is no relevant height limit to building towers in wood, and the benefits in comparison with steel only increase with height. Currently we see a demand for towers up to 150-200m, but we do expect this to increase over time.
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.
Considering that the wood tower also stores carbon dioxide, the tower’s actual climate impact is lower. The volumes of wood needed for a Modvion tower is between 300 – 1200 cubic meters depending on the height and load. That means an LVL carbon storage capacity between 240 – 950 tonnes CO2 per tower and a net negative climate impact.
The life-cycle emissions from modern wind power plants made of steel are about 4–7 grammes carbon dioxide per kWh. Building the tower in wood lowers the emissions from the wind power plant by approximately 30 percent per kWh.
We currently use Scandinavian spruce, which is abundantly available and for which re-growth exceeds logging. The wood Modvion uses comes from sustainably managed northern forests that is certified to a reforestation programme, either FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes). For more information, please see www.forestindustries.se.
The volumes of wood used per tower depends on the height of the tower and the load it will carry. For example, a 6MW turbine puts a much higher load on the structure than a 2 MW turbine. A typical tower though would range between 300 and 1 200 cubic metres of wood, which is the same as 1.5 – 5 minutes of growth in Swedish forests.
The material can be reused in conventional buildings and several other applications, for much longer than the regrowth cycle of Nordic forests. Ensuring efficient bio CO2 capture from the atmosphere.
The tower is constructed as a pipe of laminated wood, nature’s own carbon fibre, which is stronger than steel at the equivalent weight. The tower is made of modules assembled into several 16–24m tall cylinders on the installation site for the wind turbine. The cylinders are then stacked on top of each other like a conventional tower.
Each tower is transported in modules that can be stacked on top of one another and carried via lorries on normal roads. These are then assembled into cylinders that are put together to create a completed tower.
No, Modvion towers don’t cost more than traditional steel towers. In fact, over time, they will be less expensive. How much less will depend on the height of the tower – the higher the tower, the higher the cost advantage compared to a steel tower. The world price for steel also affects the cost as it fluctuates more than the price for wood.
Modvion will ramp-up to increasingly meet demand. There is LVL manufacturing capacity available today to supply a large share of global wind installations and Modvion works closely with leading suppliers regarding future capacity increases.
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E-mail us:
info@modvion.com
Address:
Transportgatan 39
422 46 Gothenburg
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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 959151.
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