
The patented design and production process is said to produce the highest quality composite components, letting the company manufacture divided blades without risk of certain serial defects associated with conventional blade building techniques.
A manufacturer of clever rotor blades for large-size wind turbines announced at Husum WindEnergy 2012 that it has received GL Certification (Germanischer Lloyd) on its prototype 45-meter modular rotor blade, signaling entry into the serial production phase of the company’s growth plan. GL Renewables is part of the GL Group, a body primarily focused on the certification of wind farms, wind turbines, blades, and their components. Manufacturer Modular Wind Energy says its MW45 blade consists of three 15-m sections manufactured at the company’s 170,000 ft2 facility in Huntington Beach, Calif. The sections were shipped to the company’s Rialto, Calif.-based test facility, assembled into a complete blade, and tested between February and June 2012.
Modular Wind Energy produces wind turbine blades featuring a revolutionary structural technology, says the company, that results in longer, lighter, more reliable blades. This lets users offer a lower cost of energy.
The blades feature greater stiffness, strength, and up to 20% lighter design for large blades, enabling larger rotors and ultimately a lower cost of energy compared to conventional blades.
A representative of GL observed each test. Certification involved rigorous static and fatigue testing – proving a 20-year design life for the blade – a significant achievement for any manufacturer. Dr. Myles Baker, co-founder and Chief Technical Officer at Modular Wind Energy, designed the blade.
“This is a tremendous milestone for the company and our blade,” says Dr. Baker. “GL certification is a necessity for doing business in our industry. This certification proves we have a great new technology for the wind industry.” The company is currently in production on its first sets of customer blades, scheduled for installation in the United States later this year.
Modular Wind Energy
www.modwind.com
Filed Under: Blades, News