Almost two tons of carbon dioxide are emitted for every ton of steel manufactured, and a modern onshore wind turbine “contains around 120 metric tons of steel per megawatt of capacity,” according to industry group WindEurope.

据WindEurope行业组织透露，每生产一吨钢材将排放出近两吨的二氧化碳，而现代陆上风力涡轮机每兆瓦发电量大约需要120公吨的钢材。

Instead of steel, Modvion uses laminated veneer lumber (LVL), made from multiple layers of wood stuck together with adhesives. The LVL boards are manufactured into modules which are then transported and assembled into cylinders on site, before being stacked on top of each other, and joined with glue, to create a tower.

为了应对这一挑战，Modvion公司创造性地选择了层压单板木材（LVL）作为钢材的替代品。LVL是由多层木材通过粘合剂紧密结合而成的，具有出色的结构性能。Modvion将LVL板材加工成模块，然后在现场进行运输和组装，最终形成圆柱体结构，并通过胶水连接成完整的塔架。

The company says it uses Scandinavian spruce wood sourced from reforestation-certified sustainably managed northern forests in Sweden, and a typical tower uses between 300 to 1,200 cubic meters of wood.

这些塔架所使用的木材主要来源于瑞典北部经过重新造林认证的可持续管理森林中的斯堪的纳维亚云杉，一个典型的塔架所使用的木材量在300到1200立方米之间。

According to Otto Lundman, co-founder and CEO of Modvion, using wooden towers reduces the lifecycle emissions of a wind turbine by over 25%, and by 90% if you only compare the tower component of the turbine.

Modvion公司的联合创始人兼首席执行官Otto Lundman表示，使用木制塔架能够将风力涡轮机在整个生命周期内的排放量减少25%以上，而仅就塔架部分而言，减排效果更是高达90%。

He adds that if you take into account the carbon dioxide absorbed by trees when they grow, the wooden towers can be considered to store more carbon that they emit. However, some researchers dispute the idea that building with wood can be carbon neutral.

他进一步指出，考虑到树木在生长过程中吸收的二氧化碳，木制塔架实际上能够储存比其排放更多的碳。不过，也有一些研究人员对木结构建筑能否实现碳中和持怀疑态度。

Modvion was founded in 2016 by Lundman and architect David Olivegren, and four years later, with some funding from the Swedish Energy Agency, Modvion launched a prototype 30-meter tower on Björkö island, Sweden.

Modvion公司是由伦德曼和建筑师David Olivegren于2016年创立的。经过四年的不懈努力，该公司终于在瑞典能源署的支持下，于比约科岛成功推出了一座30米高的木制塔架原型。

In 2023 the company installed its first commercial two-megawatt unit, a 105-meter-high (345 feet) wooden turbine tower, called Wind of Change, outside Skara, Sweden, for electric utility company Varberg Energi.

2023年，Modvion公司在瑞典斯卡拉郊外为电力公司Varberg Energi安装了第一台两兆瓦商用机组，这座高达105米（345英尺）的木制涡轮机塔被命名为“变化之风”。

Besides the environmental benefits, Lundman says laminated wood has several logistical advantages. Wood has a higher strength per weight than steel, and tall steel towers need extra enforcement to hold their own weight, unlike wooden ones. That means Modvion’s towers can be 30% lighter than a steel one, according to Lundman.

除了显著的环保优势外，Lundman还强调了层压木材在物流方面的独特优势。由于木材的单位重量强度高于钢材，高大的钢塔往往需要额外的加固措施来支撑自身重量，而木塔则无需如此。伦德曼表示，这意味着Modvion的木制塔架可以比钢制塔架轻达30%。

The towers’ modular design means they can be transported using standard trucks and roads, and once the turbine is decommissioned, the wood can be taken down to be reused in the construction industry as high-strength beams. The company says that over time, its towers are cheaper than steel ones, with taller towers giving bigger savings.

此外，木塔的模块化设计使得其运输更加便捷，可以使用标准卡车和公路进行运输。当涡轮机退役后，木塔还可以被拆卸下来，作为高强度横梁重新应用于建筑业，实现了资源的循环利用。Modvion公司表示，随着时间的推移，其木制塔架的成本将逐渐低于钢制塔架，尤其是在建造更高塔架时，成本节约将更为显著。

“We hope and we are seeing that we are changing the perspective on wood as a material,” says Lundman. “This is really nature’s carbon fiber, green steel that grows. It should be used a lot more.”

Lundman总结道：“我们希望，并且已经看到，我们正在改变人们对木材这种传统材料的看法。木材其实是大自然的碳纤维，是一种可再生的绿色钢铁。它应该被更多地应用在各个领域，发挥出更大的价值。”

编辑 | ETTBL商务英语翻译

翻译｜Romola