Wednesday 1 June 2022

Wooden wind farms? Stora Enso and Modvion to expand wood use for turbine towers

Finnish forestry giant Stora Enso and wood technology company Modvion are joining forces to expand the use of wood for wind turbine towers.

Using wood can reduce the carbon emissions for turbine towers in wind farms by 90% while also storing carbon dioxide that has been taken up by trees during their growth.

Modvion builds wind turbine towers with laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which proportionate to its weight, is stronger than steel and Stora Enso is a leading supplier of mass timber products, including LVL.

The towers are built in lightweight modules, enabling taller towers and easy transportation without permits or road reconstructions.

The companies suggest taller towers reach stronger winds, therefore leading to more cost-efficient energy production.

They add the wood used for advanced constructions, such as wind turbine towers, can be reused in new wood-based products, providing further long term climate benefits.

Lars Völkel, Executive Vice President, Division Wood Products, Stora Enso said: “We are proud to enter into partnership with Modvion who, like us, strive to push boundaries and demonstrate the possibilities with wood.

“As one of the largest sawn wood producers and private forest owners in the world we play an important role in the transformation to a greener society. By contributing our expertise to Modvion we can further help make a difference in mitigating climate change and supporting the EU’s drive to increase renewable energy production.”