The leading wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems is investing in Modvion, a company specializing in wood technology. The goal is to accelerate market adoption and scale up the production of wooden wind turbine towers. Vestas is strongly interested in using this material for tower construction in its product line as part of a more sustainable product offering.
In November last year, Vestas launched Vestas Ventures as its corporate venture capital arm, with the vision of accelerating the adoption of sustainable energy, supporting the electrification of societies, and unlocking new growth opportunities through targeted investment programs.
The company invests in startups to challenge industry standards and to accelerate and strengthen its position as a global leader in sustainable energy solutions. Vestas has previously invested in Northvolt – a company producing energy storage systems – which is currently building a factory in Poland worth 200 million dollars.
As the company explains, Modvion’s wooden towers radically reduce CO₂ emissions from wind tower production. The modular tower design also enables taller towers at a lower cost.
The investment will support Modvion in scaling up production rapidly, and the long-term goal is to integrate wooden towers into Vestas’ product offering.
The use of this type of tower in wind energy projects will help reduce the carbon footprint and significantly facilitate the recycling of decommissioned power plants.
According to Vestas, replacing steel structures with LVL components results in an 80% reduction in CO₂ emissions in the production of wind turbine tower sections.
Facts about wooden wind turbine towers:
• Wooden towers are built in modules and assembled on-site.
• The modular concept combined with the lower weight of wood enables the construction of tall towers.
• In April 2020, Modvion erected the first wooden tower on Björkö near Gothenburg, which is 30 meters high. Starting in 2022, the company will offer much taller wooden towers.
• Last year, the company signed agreements with the Swedish wind farm developer Varberg Energi for the delivery of a 110-meter tower, and with Rabbalshede Kraft for the delivery of ten towers of up to 150 meters in height.