GE Renewable Energy has inaugurated a facility focused on 3D printing techniques to produce the concrete base of wind turbine towers.
The R&D facility, in Bergen, New York, is at the heart of a collaboration between GE, COBOD and LafargeHolcim announced in 2020 to 3D print the bottom portion of the wind turbine towers onsite at wind farms.
GE said this will lower transportation costs and create additional employment opportunities at the wind farms where the technology will be used.
The research being conducted in the Bergen facility is supported in part by a grant from the US Department of Energy.
A team of 20 people will continue to work on optimising the 3D printing technology with first applications in the field anticipated within the next five years.
GE Renewable Energy chief technology officer Danielle Merfeld said: “Innovation will continue to be a key driver in accelerating the energy transition.
“It is particularly important to continuously improve the ways we design, manufacture, transport, and construct the large components of modern wind farms.
“We appreciate the support of the US Department of Energy for the research we are doing here and are confident it will help make the wind farms of tomorrow even more efficient, economical, and environmentally responsible.”
A number of GE Renewable Energy’s key local partners as well as Enel Green Power, a customer interested in potential applications of the technology, attended the event and offered comments on how it can add value for the local community and the renewable energy industry.
Luca Seletto, director of innovation at Enel Green Power, said: “To rise to the challenge posed by the climate crisis, the renewable energy industry must prioritise innovation and sustainability as it scales.
“We are glad to keep working with GE in the development and evaluation of new technologies, like the 3D printing of wind foundations, and we thank the Department of Energy for funding this important work.”
COBOD founder Henrik Lund-Nielsen added: “We are extremely proud to have delivered a completely new type of 3D concrete printer – the largest of its kind in the world – for this world class and state of the art facility.
“The printer we have delivered is second to none: not only can it print in excess of 10 tons of real concrete per hour, but in addition, it is the first 3D concrete printer in the world with two X-axes on the printer.
“With the multiple functions, the printer can better be described as a multifunctional construction robot than a printer.”