Sweden is celebrating the construction of the country’s first wooden wind turbine. Built from sustainably sourced materials, wooden turbines are a cheaper and greener source of renewable energy. 

The design for the tower is based on a similar turbine in Germany and was created by Swedish engineering firm Modvion.

Traditional steel towers demand thick bases to support their upper sections, which makes them very expensive to produce and transport to the site. They also often conflict with rules around load size on public roads. Additionally, steel requires huge amounts of energy to produce.

The new wooden template is designed to reach heights of more than 120 meters and is composed of stackable pieces which can be transported separately. Wooden turbines are also carbon-neutral from the day construction begins.

The company created its 30-meter proof-of-concept tower at their facility in Töreboda. Once functional, the tower was moved to Björkö, an island outside Gothenburg. 

If all goes well, the company plans to produce commercial-scale versions of its wooden turbine in 2022, including towers for energy companies Varberg Energi and Rabbalshede Kraf.

Ola Carlson, director of the Swedish Wind Power Technology Centre says wind is expected to be the EU’s largest power source as early as 2027. This new technology makes an already green power source even more environmentally friendly.