Reducing Cost and Weight of Wind Turbine Blades Using Engineered CoreCX(s) Applied: B3.6, B5.1Date: 09/14/2010Location(s): Miamisburg, OhioOffice(s): Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance
September 14, 2010
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CX(s) Applied: B3.6, B5.1
Date: 09/14/2010
Location(s): Miamisburg, Ohio
Office(s): Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
As more wind turbines are being built, supply of core materials (balsa and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foam) is experiencing extreme demand pressure. WebCore has proven that TYCOR exceeds balsa and PVC in performance at a lower cost, and the Phase III program addresses the final technical and manufacturing hurdles preventing full commercialization. Wind turbine blade suppliers need cost-effective advanced composite materials to meet the growing challenges of larger blades and higher volumes. As global demand for composite wind turbine blades increased through 2008, blade suppliers experienced supply shortages and long lead times for sufficient core materials. Reliance on balsa wood and PVC foam as core materials has at times created a bottleneck in the blade production process. In the absence of new core materials, this bottleneck will only grow more severe as the number of blades needed to meet annual turbine production forecasts expands significantly. WebCore has successfully demonstrated that its innovative engineered core TYCOR is an enabling technology that can significantly decrease the cost of energy by increasing energy capture, reducing operations and maintenance costs, and reducing capital cost.