Wind power made more practical
Campus lab is pioneering 3D-printed concrete components to produce massive turbines for clean energy without the drawbacks
In a pioneering effort to reshape how America builds its clean energy infrastructure, Mo Li, UC Irvine professor of civil and environmental engineering, is leading groundbreaking research to develop novel concrete materials and advanced manufacturing methods for the next generation of massive wind turbines.
These are not the modest turbines that dot farmlands across the Midwest. The structures central to Li’s research – towering over 400 feet, with blades that can span more than 350 feet in diameter – are part of a wider vision to expand both offshore and onshore wind power in the United States, at a time when federal ambitions to decarbonize the power grid are in flux.
“Wind energy is a critical piece of the renewable energy puzzle,” says Li, who’s also a professor of materials science and engineering. “But if we’re serious about scaling it up, we have to reimagine how we design and build the structures that support it – both on land and at sea.”
Wind energy currently generates about 10 percent of the nation’s electricity – a growing share of the broader renewable energy sector, which now accounts for roughly 21 percent of U.S. power production. But increasing wind capacity poses steep engineering and logistical hurdles, particularly when it comes to making larger, taller turbines more cost-effective and energy-efficient to build and deploy.
“Manufacturing these ultra-tall towers and large supporting structures using conventional prefabrication methods is highly challenging,” Li says. “The material demand is enormous, with significant reliance on imported steel. Casting concrete at this scale requires extensive formwork, the labor requirements are high, and transporting these oversized components is difficult, especially considering clearance limits under highway bridges.”
And construction is only half the battle. Once installed, these structures must endure mechanical and environmental stresses – from high winds and ocean wave impacts to saltwater corrosion. “Structural health monitoring and long-term maintenance in remote or offshore locations add another layer of complexity,” Li says.
To meet these demands, her Advanced Multifunctional Materials and Manufacturing for Structures Lab is pioneering concrete materials and structures that can be automatically generated using robotic 3D printing systems, eliminating traditional formwork and enabling onsite, automated construction. The process reduces labor, waste and transportation bottlenecks while enabling unconventional designs for better performance with fewer materials.
Working at the interfaces of structural engineering, materials science and robotics, the AM3 Lab has created and demonstrated 3D-printed concrete materials and components, including columns over 16 feet tall, that are highly durable. They can withstand both service and such extreme conditions as wind-induced fatigue, large seismic events and dead loads imposed by large wind turbines.
Li’s lab team has also encoded novel functionalities into 3D-printed concrete materials, such as autogenous healing, self-sensing and lightweight design, which are then additively manufactured into large-scale structural elements to meet performance demands across the manufacturing, deployment and operational stages.
Some of these materials are also being engineered for recyclability or repurposing at the end of their service life, directly addressing growing concerns about the environmental footprint of renewable energy infrastructure.
“Our goal is to provide the building blocks – literally – for an efficient and sustainable energy transition,” Li says.
Funding received by the AM3 Lab to support this research area includes $1.76 million from the California Energy Commission. Li’s team collaborates closely with industry partners Sperra (formerly RCAM Technologies) and WSP and benefits from technical input provided by a wind industry advisory board and researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
While the future of U.S. wind policy remains uncertain, one thing is clear: The materials being developed in Southern California may soon be holding up the nation’s tallest symbols of clean energy.
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