Resin wind blade power generation

Can thermoplastic resins improve wind turbine blades?

Thermoplastic resins, combined with thermal welding techniques pioneered by NREL and partners, offer the potential for stronger, less expensive, and longer wind turbine blades, increasing energy capture, decreasing energy and transportation costs, and increasing blade reliability—critical to advancing the wind energy market.

Can resin be used to make a wind turbine blade?

And after several rounds of experimenting, fine tuning, and slowly scaling up, the team successfully used their new resin to construct a 9-meter prototype wind turbine blade (the size of a volleyball net)—marking a major milestone toward the material’s readiness for mainstream manufacturing.

What is a wind turbine blade made of?

A nearly 100-meter-level thermoplastic composite wind turbine blade made of Arkema’s Elium® resin has successfully rolled off the production line (Image source: Sinoma Blade)

Could a plant-based resin be a sustainable solution for wind turbines?

A recyclable, plant-based resin developed by NREL researchers could help create a sustainable solution for the wind turbine industry, like this 9-meter prototype blade. Photo by Robynne Murray, NREL The PECAN resin can be made entirely from biobased materials, like sorbitol, a common sugar that can be found in plant waste.

Why do wind turbine blades use pecan resin?

The process to manufacture a blade with PECAN resin is greener, too. The NREL team showed that the PECAN resin produces 40% less greenhouse gas emissions and requires 30% less energy to make when compared to the epoxy primarily used in today’s U.S. wind turbine blades. “This is huge,” Murray said.

Are pecan-based wind turbine blades green?

Photo by Robynne Murray, NREL The PECAN resin can be made entirely from biobased materials, like sorbitol, a common sugar that can be found in plant waste. But PECAN-based wind turbine blades benefit from more than just green building blocks. The process to manufacture a blade with PECAN resin is greener, too.