Nabrawind confirms funding for develpment of pioneering methods of testing wind towers and segmented blades
The Ministry of Economy and Competitivity of the Spanish government has confirmed it will finance the NEVA project (new strategies for validation of wind turbines), which will be developed by Nabrawind Technologies in partnership with CENER from the end of 2016 until 2018. This financing was provided through the program “Retos-Colaboración 2016”.
The lines of work to be developed through the NEVA project consist of two testing methods: for new types of towers and for modular joints of blades for wind turbines.
Both validation processes will be carried out on prototypes designed and developed by Nabrawind, using it’s two new technologies: Nabralift® and Nabrajoint®.
On one side, the development of the “full-scale” testing method allows the accelerated demonstration of the durability of new types of wind turbine towers. Specifically, this type of verification will be carried out with the first Nabralift® tower prototype, which will be installed in Navarra next year (2017).
Additionally, the second part of the project is the development of a validation method for segments of wind turbine blades. For this, reallistic applied loads (including flexion, torsion and shear) will be applied to a blade segment that includes the modular joint. For this test, the first prototype of the segmented blade with the Nabrajoint® technology will be employed – to be produced in 2017.
Nabralift® Blade Segment Speciment
In both cases, to verify the resistance of both products, loads will be reproduced over several months equivalent to 20/25 years of real life of the wind turbine.
Both testing methods are new in the wind power sector and will position Nabrawind Technologies as market leader in wind turbine validation strategies, which is a key process for maturing new technologies that will continue improving the competitiveness of the wind power sector.
The National Renewable Energy Centre (CENER) is a technology centre, specialised in applied research and in the development and promotion of renewable energies.
The program “Retos Colaboración 2016” of the Ministry of Economy and Competitivity has the objective of “supporting joint projects between companies and research organisations, in order to boost the development of new technologies, the commercial application of new ideas and technologies, contributing to the creation of new “products and services” as well as “strengthen the international leadership capacity of the Spanish System of Science, Technology and Innovation and of its stakeholders.” This submissions call has a budget of 586 million euros, which cover grants, loans and repayable advances provided by FEDER, European Regional Development Fund.