Germany’s Covestro makes wind energy breakthrough in Shanghai
Company expects R&D innovation to reduce turbine costs and boost wind power competitiveness
Covestro, one of the world’s largest makers of polymer, a group of base chemicals used in many manufacturing industries, says it has developed a new material to make wind turbine blades stronger and cheaper to build, and enhance wind power’s cost competitiveness.
The Germany-headquartered company has successfully developed in Shanghai the first polyurethane rotor blade for wind turbines globally, Samir Hifri, Covestro’s head of supply chain centre for Asia-Pacific and managing director of its Hong Kong office told the Post in an interview.
A demonstration blade has been produced by its business partner in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and is expected to be installed in turbines for prototyping later this year in a wind farm in northwestern China, he said.
“We are partnering with top turbine and blade producers in China,” he said. “Several projects are ongoing in parallel and polyurethane-based blades will be installed in various locations in China in 2017.”
Such blades are 20 to 40 per cent stronger and more durable than existing ones made with epoxy material, he claimed, adding the polyurethane material has recently been certified by international certification body DNV.