On the island of Björkö, located in Gothenburg's northern archipelago, stands Chalmers wind turbine – a facility built to increase knowledge about how to design and operate wind turbines for the greatest benefit for society. The wind turbine has been operating in its current form since 2021, and many research projects have been and are being conducted here. Sara Fogelström, Project leader at Electric Power Engineering, is the contact person for the facility and tells us more about what is going on right now.
"There is a lot happening in wind power at the moment and we have several research projects ongoing. The unique thing about Chalmers wind turbines is that we have complete control of the wind turbine's operation and can thereby demonstrate different ways of using the turbine," says Sara Fogelström, who has worked with wind power since 2010.
The wind turbine on Björkö is located nearby the harbour, on a foundation of concrete with iron reinforcement. The tower is made entirely of wood and the three blades are made of carbon fiber to be as light as possible. In its current form, the turbine has been in operation for almost six years.
Tell us more about the research and the projects that are being conducted?
"We are working on two main tracks. The first focuses on how the loads on the wind turbine can be minimized related to the control of the turbine. In this area we collaborate with the department of Dynamics at M2. It is both about how it can be run to produce as much electricity as possible, but also how the wind turbine can deliver ancillary services to the electricity grid and what impact this has on the wear and lifetime of the various components. The other track is in Electric Power Engineering, the area I come from, and it's about how well a wind turbine can deliver the ancillary services that are currently in demand."
Ancillary services are used to stabilize the frequency in the Swedish power system, how well the production and use of electricity is in balance. Svenska kraftnät has a market for various ancillary services and Chalmers wind turbines have demonstrated that wind turbines can deliver all the ancillary services that are requested.
What do you have going on in the future?
"In addition to existing ancillary services, we are investigating whether wind power can contribute with other new services to the electricity grid. Together with RISE, we are investigating how wind turbines can be run in island mode, where the wind turbine is disconnected from the large electricity grid. Our island grid consists of a wind turbine, solar cells and a battery. We will demonstrate that wind turbines can balance such a small electricity grid and keep the frequency at 50 Hz.
Right now, there is a lot of interest in testing so-called hybrid farms that combine different forms of electricity production. After the test with island operation, we will have a hybrid farm on Björkö, so it would be interesting to research and demonstrate around these."
What do your collaborations look like?
"We have many collaborations. One particular valuable platform is our reference groups, which include owners of commercial wind farms. These groups provide us with important input from various perspectives. We are also open to new collaborations and if you have an research idea that you want to test with Chalmers wind turbines, you are welcome to contact us."
Study visits during the Science Festival
During the Science Festival 2025, Sunday 6 April, there is the opportunity to visit Chalmers wind turbines. The event is free and open to everyone.