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🗞️ Driving the news: Swedish start-up Modvion has constructed the world's tallest wooden wind turbine tower, marking a significant innovation in renewable energy technology
• The 150-meter tower, located near Gothenburg, features a 2 megawatt generator powering approximately 400 homes
🔭 The context: Traditionally, steel has been the primary material for turbine towers; however, transporting large steel components to construction sites poses logistical challenges
• Modvion's wooden turbine offers a solution with its modular design, easier transportation, and potential for taller structures
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Wooden turbines represent a sustainable alternative to steel, reducing the carbon footprint of wind power generation
• The use of wood in turbines is carbon-negative, as it stores carbon dioxide absorbed by trees
⏭️ What's next: Modvion plans to scale up production, aiming to build more wooden turbines and potentially open a facility by 2027 for mass production
• The company's goal is for wooden turbines to comprise 10% of the annual global turbine installations in the next decade
💬 One quote: "Wood and glue is the perfect combination, we've known that for hundreds of years” (David Olivegren, co-founder of Modvion)
📈 One stat: The wooden turbine tower is made of 144 layers of laminated veneer lumber, exemplifying innovative use of materials in renewable energy infrastructure
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