Modular Wind Energy, a manufacturer of rotor blades for large wind turbines, says its prototype 45-meter modular rotor blade has received Germanischer Lloyd (GL) certification.
The MW45 blade consists of three 15-meter sections that were manufactured at the company's 170,000 square-foot facility in Huntington Beach, Calif. The sections were shipped to the company's Rialto, Calif.-based test facility, assembled into a complete blade, and tested between February and June.
During each test, a representative of GL was present. The certification process involved rigorous static and fatigue testing, which proved a 20-year design life for the blade.
Modular Wind Energy is currently producing its first sets of these blades, which are scheduled for installation in the U.S. later this year.
