Covestro wins JEC Innovation Award for wind industry solutions

As a leading provider of innovative and sustainable material solutions, Covestro is the winner of the 2021 JEC Innovation Awards in the "Sustainability" category
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With this award, the jury recognized the company's polyurethane (PU) infusion resin for the efficient production of wind turbine blades and coatings for offshore wind turbines
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For 25 years, the JEC Innovation Awards have been a leading award for the development and application of composite materials
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Dirk Soontjens, Head of Global Wind Energy Programs at Covestro, said at the ceremony: "Covestro sees this award as an honor, but also a responsibility to realize its circular economy vision
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Enabling the growth of the global wind energy industry is the company's main focus.
One of the goals
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The productivity and good mechanical properties of the resin material combination also provides an opportunity to design longer, more durable blades to achieve higher annual energy yields and lower energy costs, while removing barriers faced by the industry
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More efficient production of rotor blades

Through prototyping and advanced computer simulations, Covestro has studied the processing and mechanical properties of polyurethane
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Due to their low viscosity at room temperature and high reactivity at elevated temperatures, they are capable of fast pouring and curing
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Compared with epoxy resin, this will greatly shorten the production cycle of rotor blades
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Combined with its potential for weight and drag reduction, polyurethane resins reduce total cost of ownership by increasing energy efficiency and reducing manufacturing and maintenance costs
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In addition, several coating solutions for offshore wind turbines were also included in the JEC Innovation Award case
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These include a solvent-free gel coat, a water-based two-pack topcoat and a polyaspartic acid-based leading edge protection coating
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These systems have excellent adhesion properties on polyurethane composites and have been successfully tested in simulated offshore conditions
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They facilitate the manufacturing process of rotor blades, thereby increasing the production efficiency of wind turbines
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