Could 3D-printed wind turbines power Tel Aviv?

A team of German researchers led by Prof. Yilmaz Uygun of Constructor University Bremen has developed a proprietary 3D printer capable of printing all the components needed for a medium-scale wind turbine that can effectively be used in an urban setting. Now, the turbines are being tested at a regional secondary school. If successful, Uygun said they could be ready for export within the year.

Urban architecture generally does not allow space for the construction of wind farms. Large, horizontal wind turbines usually have blades between 70 and 90 meters long. Moreover, they can also be rather noisy. 

In Germany, there are also laws forbidding them to be positioned in urban areas.

Taller rather than wider wind turbines

Uygun and his team set out to create a new kind of wind turbine that is taller rather than wider and less noisy. Then, they developed a 3D printer they call “HoneyComb3D” to make it. 

"As far as I know, there are only small wind turbines (<<1m) that can be printed on desktop printers," Uygun told the Post. "In the mid-segment (3-10m), we found no other case. This was the main reason why we built our own large-scale printer."

The wind turbines are made of standard plastic and coated with resin making them suitable for outdoor use. Specifically, the team tested several plastic mixtures to create composite materials they believe will withstand urban stress under different conditions.

Recently, the team kicked off a pilot project in northern Germany in which secondary school buildings have been equipped with their vertical-axis wind turbines, creating a fully functional test field to trove the critical data and experience for an eventual technology transfer and commercialization of the turbines. 

"With this project, we are breaking new ground in urban energy generation on this scale for the first time, with the aim of making public properties energy self-sufficient," Uygun said. "After successful testing at the Hohenkirchen Secondary School, the project is to be scaled up easily and quickly so as to contribute to the energy transition."

New focus on renewables

In Germany, there is a new focus on renewables after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukraine war. The country heavily depended on Russian oil and gas, leading to recent deficits and price hikes. The wind energy produced from existing small-scale wind turbines cannot replace its nonrenewable counterparts. However, Uygun said early tests show medium-scale turbines do a better job. These turbines could play a vital role in the country's energy transition if they work well in small urban spaces. 

"The shape of the turbine we created allows us to seize the power of really tiny gusts of wind as you get in cities," Uygun said. "We looked at all the problems of other turbines and tried to avoid them, and that is how we came up with the features of our turbines. We are currently discussing five to six patents for different parts of them.

"We are trailblazers for these mid-range turbines," he said.

When the experiment is over and the data collected - in about six to eight months - Uygun said the goal is to export the turbines to other places with urban areas that could benefit. Uygun said he hopes this could be done within the next year.

Although the price for the turbines is not yet known, Uygun assumes the turbines will have a short return on investment. The team is already in talks with investors in the US and Germany.