Denmark-based LM Glasfiber has been awarded DKK$30 million by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation for the development of an innovative blade technology based on the use of novel types of fiber. The new fibers will revolutionize the blade manufacturing process, and the research program has been named Blade King.
According to the company, the award will allow LM Glasfiber to accelerate its development of a technology that will make production of the most important wind turbine component much faster and more cost-efficient.
‘There is still considerable potential for optimizing and improving our existing technology platform, but in order to sustain our ability to meet the market demands for an extended future, the industry needs a quantum leap in materials and production technology,’ says Frank V. Nielsen, vice president of research and development at LM Glasfiber. ‘The aim is for Blade King to help us achieve that.’
For the development of the Blade King technology, LM Glasfiber has partnered up with Aalborg University and Risoe DTU, which are to supply research and know-how on the new fiber types. The project also involves a third partner, the Danish company Comfil, which will contribute know-how of thermoplastic composites. The first blades manufactured with the new technology are expected to reach the market by 2015.
SOURCE: LM Glasfiber
