Imagine building a wind turbine tower out of wood instead of steel — and it actually turns out stronger. That's what Modvion figured out. They make modular towers from engineered laminated wood (think super-plywood) that can go taller than 150 meters, reaching stronger winds up high. The wood locks away CO2 instead of producing it, and the modular design means the pieces ship on regular trucks and get assembled on site — no giant special transports needed.
Wind turbine towers are hitting a ceiling — literally. Steel towers are expensive, heavy, and impossible to transport in diameters large enough to build beyond 100-120 meters. That means wind farms miss out on significantly stronger winds available at higher altitudes. At the same time, the steel manufacturing process generates massive CO2 emissions, creating a contradiction for an industry built on clean energy.
Modvion built and delivered an operational power plant featuring the first modular wind turbine tower made from laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The 30-meter prototype was installed near Gothenburg, Sweden, serving as both a working demonstrator and a research platform for further development of taller commercial-scale towers.
If you are a wind farm developer dealing with rising steel costs and height limitations on your turbine towers — this project developed modular laminated wood towers that are 55% stronger than steel per weight and can exceed 150 meters, cutting your cost of energy by up to 6%. The modular design means standard transport logistics, no oversized load permits.
If you are a wood products company looking for high-value applications for laminated veneer lumber — Modvion has proven LVL can replace steel in wind turbine towers, opening a massive new market. Each 150m tower traps CO2 captured by trees during growth, cutting 2,000 tons of CO2 compared to steel. This is engineered wood at industrial infrastructure scale.
If you are a utility planning new wind capacity and facing cost pressure — Modvion's wooden towers can reduce tower costs by up to 40%, resulting in 6% lower cost of energy. With European wind power capacity set to double, these towers let you build taller installations that exploit up to 2x stronger winds at higher altitudes.
According to the project data, Modvion's modular wood towers can reduce tower costs by up to 40% compared to conventional steel towers, resulting in approximately 6% lower overall cost of energy. The cost advantage comes from both cheaper materials and simplified transport logistics.
The project aimed to reach TRL9 (full commercial readiness) through the EIC Accelerator program. They delivered an operational power plant as a demonstrator near Gothenburg, Sweden. The modular design is specifically engineered for scalable manufacturing and standard road transport.
Modvion holds at least one granted patent with another patent pending at the time of the project. As a single-company SME project (no university or research partners), all IP is owned by Modvion AB. Licensing or supply arrangements would need to be negotiated directly with the company.
Each 150-meter wooden tower cuts 2,000 tons of CO2 compared to a traditional steel tower. The wood structure actually stores carbon captured by trees during growth. This gives a measurable advantage for carbon reporting, ESG compliance, and green procurement requirements.
The project ran from October 2020 to September 2023 and is now closed. The deliverable list includes an operational power plant. The stated goal was to reach TRL9 and start full commercial scale operations by project end.
The tower comes in modules optimized for strength and ease of transportation — they fit on standard trucks, eliminating the need for oversized load transport that limits conventional steel tower diameters. Modules are assembled at the installation site, enabling towers well beyond 150 meters with larger diameter bases.
This is a single-company project — Modvion AB from Sweden, an SME operating as a private commercial entity. The 100% industry composition with zero university or research partners signals this is a company focused on bringing a product to market, not conducting basic research. The EIC SME Instrument Phase 2 funding confirms the EU assessed Modvion as having strong commercial potential. For a business buyer, this means you're dealing directly with the technology developer and manufacturer — no academic middlemen or complex consortium IP splits.
Modvion AB is based in Sweden. Contact their commercial team via modvion.com for supply or partnership inquiries.
Want an introduction to the Modvion team? SciTransfer can arrange a qualified meeting to discuss tower supply, licensing, or partnership options for your wind energy projects.
