The Wind Blade Research Hub (WBRH) is a five-year research partnership between the ORE Catapult and the University of Bristol. The overarching objective of the WBRH is to support and fund wind turbine blade research that will increase the environmental and financial sustainability of wind energy. The research outcomes will accelerate uptake of new technologies and advance future offshore wind blade design and manufacture.

The Bristol Composites Institute (University of Bristol) and the ORE Catapult are excited to announce this virtual seminar, which will present innovative research on sustainable composite materials for wind turbine blades, aiming to draw together the challenges and the solutions.

The programme is outlined below. Register for the webinar on Eventbrite.

Programme

12:45 – Seminar start

Introduction and Industry Perspective – 12:45

• Professor Paul Weaver (Bristol Composites Institute) – Welcome and introduction
• Dr Steve Wyatt (ORE Catapult) – Introduction to the sustainability challenge for wind turbine blades
• Mie Elholm Birkbak (Vestas) – CeTeC project: Development of a new sustainable epoxy system
• Harald Stecher (Siemens Gamesa) – SGRE Wind Blades and Sustainability

1st Technical Session, chaired by Professor Paul Weaver (Bristol Composites Institute) – 13:35

• Professor Steve Eichhorn (Bristol Composites Institute) – From Micro to Nano and Back Again: Natural Cellulosic Fibre Composites
• Dr Maurice Collins (University of Limerick) – The development of lignin fibres
• Dr Dimitrios Mamalis (ORE Catapult) – Alternative hybrid composites: A novel fibre metal laminate based on thermoplastic resin 
• Q&A for speakers

2nd Technical Session, chaired by Dr Mark Forrest (ORE Catapult) – 14:40

• Jenny Banks (National Composites Centre) – SusWIND: The future sustainability of wind turbine blades 
• Dr Darshil Shah (University of Cambridge) – Designing biocomposite blades: progress and challenges
  
• Professor Ian Hamerton (Bristol Composites Institute) – Matrix/fibre modification to tailor performance
• Tomas Flanagan (EIRE composites) – Manufacture and testing of large composite structures
• Q&A for speakers

Panel discussion, chaired by Professor Steve Eichhorn (Bristol Composites Institute) – 16:00

Panel Discussion: Industry perspective on the challenges and solutions

• Lorna Bennet (ORE Catapult)
• Pierre Stephan (EDF)
• Mie Elholm Birkbak (Vestas)

16:30 – Seminar close

Register for the webinar on Eventbrite.