Founded in 2016, Modvion is a wood technology company with patented technology for high-altitude wind power towers, using a modular design and constructed from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). During spring 2020, Modvion installed a 1st pilot tower, 30m tall, near Gothenburg. The EIC Accelerator project enabled the first commercial LVL wind tower to be installed, close to the urban area Skara in Sweden, during the autumn 2022. The carbon dioxide absorbed by the trees during their growth period remains stored in the LVL wind tower, enabling climate neutral wind energy.
In the next ten years, wind power capacity in Europe is expected to double. To maximize energy output and efficiency, one of the most promising innovations are high-altitude wind power plants. When the height of a tower doubles, the effect from the turbine quadruples and thus lower the cost of energy. Current high-altitude tower components are difficult to transport due to their size – the tower base diameter can’t exceed 4.3 meters due to road infrastructure limits (e.g. tunnels), meaning that special infrastructure would have to be built or other longer routes are chosen. Therefore, a strong, yet modular design, could further advance the production of tall wind power plants and consequently speed up Europe’s transition into greener energy.
Modvion brings to market the next generation of wind turbine towers in laminated wood. Our unique technology, demonstrated in an 30m tall earlier prototype and in the more recent 105 m installation, allows us to create a modular tower, which is large in diameter, easy to assemble, and carbon negative since it stores more carbon than is produced during production. Based on industry data, calculations show that one 150-meter tower built with Modvion’s technology can avoid emissions of 2,000 tons of CO2 when replacing a similar steel tower. In the light of the latest IPCC reports, and that all 27 EU Member States committed to turning the EU into the first climate neutral continent by 2050, the innovations like Modvion’s are much needed.
Current solutions are designed simply to provide sufficient support for a wind turbine and its installed capacity. For a turbine to be cost-effective, it must be available to produce electricity 24 hours per day. At higher altitudes, wind velocity is higher and has less turbulence, which gives wind turbines access to more continuous airflow, thus producing more electricity. There are multiple tall wind tower types, 150 m and above, currently available or under development, each offering various advantages. Modvion’s uniqueness comes from being built from wood and being able to cut CO2-emissions when replacing a steel-based wind turbine tower. Furthermore, a modular tower has a huge advantage when come to transport on public roads.
Thanks to laminated wood having 55% higher specific strength than steel per weight, our towers typically weigh 30% less than steel towers. This gives a huge advantage when coming to site assembly where an extensive cost carrier comes from the time large cranes are needed at site. The cranes hour rate can significantly be reduced when using a less weighty material and modular towers. The total cost of the towers will also be reduced when using a less expensive material, and since the tower construction having 55% higher specific strength reduces the total need of materials in the even higher wind power towers to be constructed.
The EIC Accelerator project enabled the first commercial LVL wind tower to be erected, including development methodology, factory build up and installation at site.
