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Not seeing the wood for the trees: Modvion is using this to their advantage…

When we’re confronted with a complex problem, most of us can’t see the wood for the trees. Some, however, see the forest as the solution. Modvion, a renewable energy wood technology start-up, has done just that. Their highly specialised team is generating considerable buzz in the wind energy community with their innovative wooden wind turbine tower designs. Yes, you heard us, wind turbines made from nature’s very own carbon fibre.

The majority of existing wind turbine towers are typically made from steel, a material that is costly, incredibly heavy, and the life span of which is approximately 20 to 25 years. Transporting them is a logistical nightmare, particularly when tunnels, bridges, or ordinary roads are involved. Although the components of steel wind turbines can be reused or recycled, the energy used to produce, transport, and recycle them at the end of their lifecycle, undermines the purpose of their very existence – to reduce carbon emissions. Food for thought on carbon offset value add (ahem ahem, ESG reporting!)…steel and concrete wind turbine towers make up 15% of the global CO2 emissions.

 

What makes Modvion different?

Modvion’s designs are the first of their kind, there’s nothing else like them out there. Made from Scandinavian Spruce trees harvested from sustainable reforestation plantations, they are low cost, 50% stronger than their steel counterpart, and store more carbon in their lifetime than is released in their production. Built from laminated wood, the CO2 emissions from their production are negative, making their carbon offset value over 25%. Additionally, during its life cycle, the wood tower emits 90% less emissions than steel or concrete towers, AND  the wood itself is storing carbon, ultimately meaning that the tower stores more carbon emissions than it emits during its production.

Their biggest selling point, however, is their modular design – a feature that allows for easy and cost-effective transportation of the towers. Although you might not initially think, wood is stronger than steel, which means it can hold its own. But it is also lighter. Modvion’s towers are 30% lighter than traditional towers. This solves one of the biggest challenges that the wind industry faces in terms of transportation and procurement costs.  

Their second biggest selling point is their height potential, an element that makes their design particularly attractive to the European wind market who have mountains and heavily forested areas to contend with. The higher the wind turbine, the more energy is generated. Modvion’s end goal is to build a turbine tower with a hub height of +200m. In order to manufacture turbines of this height, the base diameter must be increased, an element that adds an additional obstacle to the transportation process. Modvion does not believe in obstacles, only challenges, and challenges can be overcome.

Team Logistics

The tower modules are produced in-house at Modvion’s workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden. They are then transported in twos or threes on regular lorries, on regular roads to the project site. Transporting a lighter load means trucks or lorries are able to travel further and faster at a significantly lower cost. At site they are assembled using a crane and some crazy strong industrial glue. Achieving such a feat is only possible with an incredibly specialised team. Within this innovative space, Modvion has managed to create an entirely new pool of highly skilled talent.

There are a lot of wind experts and a lot of construction experts out there, but not many people have a foot in both fields. By selecting skills across industries that are transferable to their project, Modvion has developed a team that exists perfectly in the intersection of these two skills.  Structural engineers for example have had to learn how to think like a dynamic wood engineer, and wood engineers like structural engineers. We are seeing a change in the landscape of renewable energy jobs!

“Knowledge has been adopted and adapted internally. Internal training and development, it’s something we do every day and that is why people love working here. People don’t want to leave.”, said Simon Hillinge Levén, Sales Manager at Modvion.

Everyone on Modvion’s team has been hand-picked to fulfil niche roles. This includes professionals responsible for fire-management and risk mitigation. There is a common misconception that because wood is flammable it is always at risk of spontaneously combusting. Wooden wind turbines are more fire resistant than their steel counterpart. It is very difficult to get a solid piece of wood to ignite, and when it does, it chars more than burns. This charring is minimal and occurs at a predictable (rate of 0.65mm per minute) and at controllable rate.

Developing this unique cache of skills that have previously not existed is particularly interesting for the world of renewables. We are moving into unchartered territory with modern technology and pertaining solutions being developed or imagined every day. If both companies and clients are to keep up with this rapid change, then paying attention to transferable skills and sustainable upskilling is crucial, not to mention the bump up to net-zero targets!

Pushback and grumbling

Like with any new innovative idea, there has been some pushback and grumbling from sceptics within the wind industry. Wind turbines have been commercially available since the 90s and the industry is still relatively conservative. Modvion, however, remains undeterred and it is determined to continue pushing the boundaries of this technology, slowly but surely reaching towards new heights until they break through that final layer of cloud. The company’s recent partnership with Vestas, a global leader in the design, manufacturing, installation, development, and servicing of wind energy projects, is a significant indicator of the company’s value. Modvion has also recently been named as the #SET100 winner of the Clean Energy Generation category, for the part that it is playing in the evolution of wind energy.

Modvion’s other investors and include Almi Invest Greentech, the European Innovation Council Fund, and Chalmers Ventures. If you find this renewable energy solution as irresistible as we do, pop the Modvion team an email expressing your interest to partner or connect! You can find their contact details at the end of this article.

What’s next?

The initial commercial value for Modvion lies in the Nordic region where installation can take place close to their homebase. Their second frontier will be Germany, the third largest wind-powered country in the world. Having just installed their first commercial 2MW turbine in partnership with manufacturer Vestas, Modvion is quite literally on the trajectory to reach new heights. Their short term goal is to install a 6MW turbine next year on an even higher tower. The goal is to have 10% of the global market in the next ten years. They are aiming to disrupt the supply chains as little as possible and are actively looking to connect with wind turbine manufacturers, developers, and logistics firms in these regions.

Although the company is largely focused on initially rolling-out their towers in the European market, their scalability potential suggests that they will be expanding to other frontiers in the very near future.

One last cheesy pun for the road; the future is quite literally looking up.

 

Contact

One of AltGen’s core initiatives is to connect and stay connected with like-minded innovators in the renewables space (bearing in mind we are on the skills front). Keeping our ear to the ground when it comes to new and exciting developments within the renewable industry is our way of doing this. We want to connect with you with unique partners in the cleantech market. Most importantly, however, we want to connect you with one another by creating a network of industry professionals and talent that will support the global net-zero goals.   

If you are looking for a helping hand in navigating this complex world of niche and transferable skills, reach out to us HERE!

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