September 28, 2022

The renewable energy solutions provider, Energiekontor AG, has partnered with Omega-Tools GmbH, a maintenance company, and BASF’s coatings division to increase the efficiency of its wind turbines with Novaflex BladeUp film product.

With its microscopic line structures, the functional film ensures a noticeable increase in the yield of the turbines. The riblets reduce the formation of air turbulence on the surface of the blades, so that a larger proportion of the wind can be used for generating electricity.

In a measurement campaign that has been running for about a year, an increase of up to three per cent in power output was determined, and for this purpose, BASF’s Novaflex BladeUp was installed on a 1.3-megawatt SWT 1,300 turbine in Germany.

“We are impressed with the significant increase in power yield with Novaflex. This makes it all the more important that we implement this option for our plants in a timely manner and thus contribute to the energy transition,” said Carsten Schwarz, Member of the Management Board from Energiekontor AG.

BASF is also interested in extending the Novaflex product to turbines and blades from other manufacturers and other performance classes. “An integration into the manufacturing processes of the blade manufacturers would also be possible, so that new wind turbines can directly generate a higher electricity yield,” said Jörg Lenz, head of the Beyond Paint Solutions business unit at BASF.

Energiekontor has awarded Omega-Tools GmbH a first contract to equip wind turbines of the tested type with BASF’s film and intends to include further turbine types.
In the long term, Energiekontor AG wants to equip all available turbines—their own and those managed by their company—with BASF’s product.