GE Joins Forces to Develop 3D-Printed Concrete Bases That Lift Wind Turbines to Record Heights

The combination of 3D design, materials science and robotics, GE Renewable Energy, COBOD, and Lafarge Holcim use variable height printing bases for wind turbines directly at site. The cement bases rising be 10 to 80 metres high, with the intention of adding an iron tower to the foundation and providing a massive lift to each wind turbine.

Paul Veers, chief engineer of the National Wind Engineering Center and senior 3D printing fellow researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said "This is a step in the next generation of wind power stations."

Most wind turbines were previously built in steel or prefabricated concrete and were limited to a height between 80 and 100 metres. The hybrid towers exceed 150 to 200 metres by using 3D-pressed concrete technology to build large foundations directly on site, more than double the maximum existing wind turbinery height in the US.

New Concrete Technology for 2020

An NREL analysis suggests that wind speeds up to 160 metres higher than 80 metres are up to 6 miles per hour. Thus, larger turbines are able to catch stronger winds at higher heights while also supporting larger blades which generate more power. While a 5MW wind turbine produces 15.1GWh per annum at 80 metres, the same turbine would produce an extra energy of 20.2GWh at 160 metres – over 33 percent. It equals 5,600 households to 4,200 households a year.

To date, the installation of such large wind turbines was hindered by a number of limitations.

A larger base to support a larger turbine is required to start. Owing to their incredibly broad dimensions, concrete bases with a diameter larger than 4.5 metres can not be transported by road or rail. The construction of the base on site by assembling precast concrete parts or creating moulds and pouring cement is an costly , time consuming, labor-intensive operation — not worth the extra energy a large turbine will gain from it. (The height of road overpasses for one, is a major constraint factor.)

The partnership will reduce the costs of labour, transport and materials in the construction of wind turbines by using 3D printing technology. It will also decrease greenhouse gas emissions from transportation to wind farms by massive structure, as transporting a 3D printer to the premises is much easier than transporting a massive concrete base. This savings in costs would help to drive clean wind energy transition in new markets.

"With the help of renewable energy as well as more sustainable technologies, this international collaboration is truly aimed at making the world better," says Matteo Bellucci, Technology Innovation Leader for GE Renewables Energy. GE is a world leader in the design, production and commercialization of wind turbines, and one of the world's largest wind-turbines producers.

"To help reduce costs and faster implementation times and reduce the CO2 footprint resulting from the production of the energy, we believe with this groundbreaking 3D printing technology combined with the skills and resources of our partners," added the CoBOD founder Henrik Lund-Nielsen. COBOD is an revolutionary 3D building printer to create a 3D printer, optimise the project 3D printing technology.

"Because its unparalleled design flexibility expands the range of construction options, Concrete 3D printing is a very promising technology for us," says Edelio Bermejo, R&D Head at Lafarge Holcim. LafargeHolcim is a leading company for the design of custom concrete materials for the work.

In October 2019 the trio succeeded in printing their first prototype in Copenhagen , Denmark, with a 10-meter high tower pedestal. The following move is to refine the layout of a 20-meter tower section before construction on an 80-meter tower section is stamped concrete works begun. The Group plans to complete the next years with a ready-to-produce 3D printer, a full range of production materials and a full-scale 3D wind turbine prototype. In 2023, GE plans to start development, which will make it the world's first wind turbines with 3D concrete bases.