Key Milestone Reached for UK's New Carbon Fiber Development Lines

​March 4th, 2025

A study led by researchers at Sandia National Laboratories suggests that a new type of carbon fiber material could bring significant cost and performance benefits to the wind energy industry if developed for commercial use.

Compared to traditional fiberglass, wind turbine blades made from carbon fiber weigh 25% less, allowing for longer blade designs that can capture more energy in low-wind locations. Additionally, carbon fiber materials have high fatigue resistance, which could extend the lifespan of wind turbine blades. The study, led by wind energy researcher Brandon Ennis, was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), with research partners including Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Montana State University.

Currently, only one major wind turbine manufacturer extensively incorporates carbon fiber in blade designs. Given that wind turbine blades are the largest single-piece composite structures in the world, a cost-competitive carbon fiber alternative to fiberglass could make the wind industry the largest consumer of carbon fiber by weight.

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Balancing Cost and Performance in Wind Blade Materials

In wind turbine design, cost is a primary concern, but manufacturers must also ensure that turbine blades can withstand compressive forces and fatigue loads over their 30-year lifespan.

Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories examined whether a low-cost carbon fiber developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) could meet these performance demands while also reducing costs.

This new carbon fiber material is produced using a widely available precursor from the textile industry, which consists of thick bundles of acrylic fibers. The manufacturing process involves heating the fibers to convert them into carbon fiber, followed by a pultrusion process that shapes the carbon fiber into planks. This pultrusion technique enhances both performance and reliability, while also allowing for high production capacity, making it well-suited for wind blade manufacturing.

When testing this low-cost carbon fiber, researchers found that it outperformed commercial carbon fiber in key properties that are most relevant to the wind industry.

At ORNL’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility, developmental samples of this new carbon fiber were compared with commercially available carbon fiber and standard fiberglass composites. Montana State University researchers conducted mechanical testing, while Ennis integrated cost modeling data from ORNL to evaluate the system-wide impact of using this novel carbon fiber as the primary structural material in a wind turbine blade.

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Key Findings: Strength, Cost Savings, and Structural Benefits

The study found that the new carbon fiber material has 56% higher compressive strength per dollar compared to standard commercial carbon fiber, which serves as the industry benchmark.

Typically, manufacturers compensate for lower compressive strength by using more material, which increases costs. However, due to this new carbon fiber’s superior strength-to-cost ratio, Ennis’ analysis predicts that using it for spar caps—the main structural component of a wind turbine blade—could result in approximately 40% material cost savings compared to commercial carbon fiber.

This research highlights the potential for low-cost carbon fiber to revolutionize wind turbine manufacturing. If commercialized, it could drive greater efficiency, lower costs, and improved durability in wind energy technology.