Advances in Rotor Blades, Conference Day 2 | Wednesday, 26th August 2026
Focus Day, Exploring Geotechnics | Monday, 24th August 2026
Offshore Foundations, Conference Day 1 | Tuesday, 25th August 2026
Offshore Foundations, Conference Day 2 | Wednesday, 26th August 2026
Advances in Rotor Blades, Conference Day 1 | Tuesday, 25th August 2026
Advances in Rotor Blades, Conference Day 2 | Wednesday, 26th August 2026
8:00 - 9:00
Registration and Welcome Coffee
8:00 - 9:00
Deep Dive: Challenging an 153m long 80 Ton blade weight. What Is Realistic? Critical Parameters for Safe and Durable XXL Rotor Blade Design
Edo Kuipers -
Engineering Manager and Co-Owner,
We4Ce - The Rotorblade Specialist
- Understanding realistic mass, load and durability thresholds with length.
- Engineering insights from We4Ce's current 153 meter blade design project.
- Why ultra low mass claims for XXL blades are questionable?
- Maintenance and re-manufacturing as part of 20 years lifetime, to balance cost.
- The role and expectations of the certification process.
As global competitive appears to push for extreme scalability and ultra lightweight structures, new questions arise about safety limits and how low we want to go for a long-term durability.
Edo will present results from design parameter studies on We4Ce's 153m design: rotor mass estimates, design constraints, the effect of switching to 2 blades, followed by a technical group discussion on what is truly achievable for future blade generations. In an interactive session, participants will examine why some public mass claims for XXL blades appear (un)realistic, (un)certainties in design and manufacturing and to what extent covered with partial safety factors and what design trade offs are required to ensure a safe, certifiable, and economically viable product.
9:15 - 9:20
Opening and Welcome by the Conference Chair
Dr.-Ing. Alexander Krimmer -
Principal Engineer Composite Materials and Structures,
TPI Composites Germany GmbH
Dr.-Ing. Alexander Krimmer
Principal Engineer Composite Materials and StructuresTPI Composites Germany GmbH
9:20 - 9:50
Fatigue Behavior & Reliability - Insights from "ReliaBlade2"
Ulrike Kersten -
Senior Engineer Structural Design,
TPI Composites Germany GmbH
• Overview of fatigue prediction methods and validation steps used in the "ReliaBlade2" project.
• Comparison of design predictions vs. test results and the impact on lifetime estimation accuracy.
• Matrix dominated fatigue failure as the design driving failure mechanism.
9:50 - 10:20
WIVALDI Field Validation of Rotor Blades: Aeroelastic Response, Damping and Operational Feedback into Design
Yves Govers -
Deputy Head of Department Structural Dynamics,
DLR-Institut für Aeroelastik
• Full-scale rotor blade field testing at WIVALDI beyond laboratory conditions
• Aeroelastic response and vibration behaviour of large, flexible blades under real operation
• Structural and aerodynamic damping in the field and its impact on loads and fatigue
• Model validation using operational data: Comparing measured blade dynamics with numerical predictions
• Closing the feedback loop to design: How field validated blade dynamics inform modelling assumptions and future blade concepts
10:20 - 10:50
Streamlining Blade Development and Certification Through Bespoke Substructure Testing and High-Fidelity FE Modelling
Federico Belloni -
Senior Engineer Rotor Blades,
DNV
• Challenges of full-scale blade testing and limited standardization of sub-structure testing
• Targeted structural verification of critical blade features through de-coupled sub-structure testing
• Standardization of mature sub-structure test methods (pultrusion beam and root connection testing)
• Emerging non-standard sub-structure and full-scale test methods and their role in certification
10:50 - 11:20
Coffee Break and Networking
11:20 - 11:50
Closing the Loop in Renewables: End-of-Life Strategies for Legacy Wind Turbine Blades
Anurag Bansal -
Head of Strategic Innovations,
Acciona Industrial
• The end-of-life challenge of first- and second-generation wind turbine blades
• Applying the waste hierarchy: from waste prevention to high-value recycling
• Low-temperature thermal pyrolysis (WALUE) and mechanical recycling – Acciona's approach
• Case studies: using recycled blade materials in construction and renewable applications
• Why circularity does not have to mean blade-to-blade
11:50 - 12:20
From ZEBRA to Industrial Scale: Elium® Thermoplastic Blades for Extended Lifetime and True Closed Loop Recycling
Dr. Pierre GERARD -
Senior Expert Composite, Head of Recycling Program,
Arkema
• Industrial Readiness: Full Scale Manufacturing of Thermoplastic Blades
• Extended Blade Lifetime Through Enhanced Material Performance
• True Closed Loop Recycling: Recovering Both Fibres and Resin
• Proven Sustainability Benefits: Up to 30% CO₂ Reduction
12:20 - 12:50
Evolving Production Technologies in Rotor Blade Manufacturing: A Materials Perspective
Dr. Leif Ole Meyer -
Global Wind Platform & EMEAI R&D Leader,
Olin Germany Upstream GmbH & Co. KG
• Overview of key production processes: infusion, bonding, and the rising role of pre-fabricated load-carrying components.
• How technologies like pultrusion, RTM, and filament winding reshape material requirements and cost structures.
• Opportunities and challenges in aligning material innovations with OEM expectations and confidentiality constraints.
• Why early collaboration across the value chain is essential to unlock performance and production efficiency gains
Dr. Leif Ole Meyer
Global Wind Platform & EMEAI R&D LeaderOlin Germany Upstream GmbH & Co. KG
12:50 - 13:20
From Sensors and Modelling to Circular Blade Strategies: Enabling the Capex → Opex Shift
How measurement, modelling and software tools support lifetime extension, delayed replacement and circular End of Life decisions
13:20 - 14:30
Lunch Break and Networking
14:30 - 15:00
Rotor Blades in a Changing Global Market - Costs, Failures, Lifetime Economics – and What "More Reliable" Really Means
Hinrich Graue -
Senior Expert Blade Design,
RE technologies GMBH
• Global rotor blade market landscape: Europe, China and India
• Lifetime economics: How blade failures, repairs and component exchanges might affect OPEX and consequently operators' and manufacturers' business
• Discussion: What does reliability mean in measurable, operational terms rather than as a generic design goal? Are current estimates of lifetime costs and failure rates sufficient to justify higher reliability targets?
15:00 - 15:30
Panel Discussion: Where the Global Blade Market Is Heading (2026–2030)
Cost structure, supply chain shifts, localisation vs. globalisation, China's scaling speed
15:30 - 16:00
Integrating a Foreign Rotor Blade into Industrial Toolchains - Challenges, Method Differences and Early Learnings from a Multi Partner Project
Niklas Jöres -
Engineer Blade Structures,
Nordex Energy GmbH
• From Geometry to Model: Real-world challenges in rebuilding an external rotor blade design—geometrically and structurally—within an internal industrial toolchain
• Why Results Differ: Understanding discrepancies between partners' predictions despite identical input designs and aligned project goals
• Validating Methods: Using cross company comparison as a tool to validate methodologies and prepare for future blade testing and test correlation
16:00 - 16:10
Closing Remarks by the Chair and End of Conference
Dr.-Ing. Alexander Krimmer -
Principal Engineer Composite Materials and Structures,
TPI Composites Germany GmbH
Dr.-Ing. Alexander Krimmer
Principal Engineer Composite Materials and StructuresTPI Composites Germany GmbH
