Reducing Costs for Offshore Turbines Using 3D-Print Technology

Wind off the coasts of the U.S. could be used to generate more than double the combined electricity capacity of all the nation’s electric power plants, reports have suggested.

But building wind turbines offshore is expensive, requiring parts to be shipped at least 30 miles away from a coast. Purdue University engineers are conducting research on a way to make these parts out of 3D-printed concrete, a less expensive material that would also allow parts to float to a site from an onshore plant. “One of the current materials used to manufacture anchors for floating wind turbines is steel,” said Pablo Zavattieri, a professor in Purdue’s ... More: Official Press Release Purdue University

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