As wind turbines get taller, logistical challenges from transportation and installation grow, too.
But what if pieces of the wind turbine's tower could be manufactured onsite?
GE Renewable Energy has opened a new research and development facility in Bergen, New York, that is exploring how to 3D print the concrete base of wind towers.
Taller wind turbines can access higher-speed winds, thus generating more energy. By 3D printing the base of wind towers onsite, GE Renewable Energy said it hopes to lower transportation costs.
GE Renewable Energy said one of its customers, Enel Green Power, has expressed interest in the technology, which makes use of a three-story-tall 3D concrete printer that can print more than 10 tons of concrete per hour.
GE’s printable pedestal and other stackable sections can reach heights above 20 meters, helping increase the height of the hub to above 140 meters, which is double the height from 20 years ago.
In 2020, GE Renewable Energy was awarded $5 million from the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to advance 3D printing technology.
