The construction of a facility capable of conducting comprehensive tests throughout the entire wind power cycle, from wind power generator materials to the development of ultra-large wind power blades, is expected to be of great help to the development of the domestic wind power industry in the future.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS, President Choi Cheol-jin) Wind Power Core Technology Research Center (Director Park Ji-sang, Senior Researcher) held the 'Wind Power Materials and Components Test Building Completion Ceremony' at the New Renewable Energy Complex in Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do on the 17th.

The Korea Materials Research Institute Wind Power Core Technology Center was established in 2006 with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to play a central role in the development of wind power core component technology and corporate support, and built a wind power test facility in Buan, Jeollabuk-do in 2011.

Buan Wind Power Test Center is the only domestic internationally accredited testing organization for wind power blades (international certification) and a performance testing organization designated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (domestic certification) that performs certification tests for finished products.

In order to realize ultra-large wind power blades of 10MW (megawatts, a unit of power) or more, various development tests and certification tests for materials and parts are essential during the development stage.

If we proceed directly to the certification test of the finished blade without such a testing stage, the probability of failure is high, and there is a risk of damage occurring during operation, resulting in huge losses.

Therefore, the Materials Research Center for Wind Power Core TechnologyIn cooperation with local governments (Jeollabuk-do, Buan-gun) and the Korea Energy Agency, we are working on the 'Wind Power Core Materials and Components Comprehensive Testing Base Construction Project' starting in 2022.

The goal of this project is to complete a full-cycle comprehensive testing foundation covering blade materials, parts, and finished products. The 'Wind Power Materials and Parts Testing Center' being built through this project will support the development/certification of materials and parts units essential for the development of ultra-large wind power blades of 10MW or higher.

The total project cost of the 'Wind Power Core Materials and Components Comprehensive Testing Base Construction Project' is 24.99 billion won (19.14 billion won from the national budget and 5.85 billion won from Jeollabuk-do) over four years until October 2026. The total floor area is 1,700㎡, and the building structure is one floor above ground, one building, and five laboratories.

A total of 48 types of testing equipment and facilities (partial structure testing equipment/composite environment testing equipment/material property testing equipment/physical analysis testing equipment/specimen manufacturing and processing equipment) will be installed inside the testing building.

The Korea Materials Research Institute Wind Power Core Technology Center is expected to contribute to the realization of the 2050 Carbon Neutrality/Korean Green New Deal/Renewable Energy 3020 national policies by establishing a ‘Wind Power Materials and Components Testing Center’, and will also be able to increase the reliability of developed products by supporting verification tests for materials, components, and finished products at each stage of blade development.

In addition, along with promoting the development of innovative technologies for the development of ultra-large blades of 12MW or more, the Ministry of Materials Science and Technology has pledged to provide the highest level of internationally accredited testing/certification and engineering service support to materials and parts companies in the Jeonbuk region based on the accumulated capabilities of the materials and parts specialized organization.

Park Ji-sang, head of the Korea Materials Research Institute’s Wind Power Core Technology Center, said, “Offshore wind power generation system“As the capacity has increased to 10MW and the blade length has increased to over 100m, the reliability of the core component, the blade, has become more important,” he said. “We expect that the wind power material and component testing facility, which has been completed in a timely manner, will play a key role in the development of our country’s offshore wind power technology and industry and in enhancing reliability.”