Advanced carbons in energy generation

Carbon fibre is the largest-volume advanced carbon in energy generation, used above all in wind turbine rotor blades, where its stiffness-to-weight ratio allows longer, higher-output blades to be built without unmanageable tip deflection. It concentrates in the spar caps that form the structural backbone of the blade, and also appears in shear webs, offshore tower and nacelle structures, and in pressure vessels for gas turbine systems. Carbon fibre now makes up roughly 25 to 30% of a blade by mass, up from about 15% in 2020.

Graphite and graphene serve solar and electrochemical roles, with graphite used as a back-contact and bipolar-plate material and graphene explored as a transparent top electrode in place of indium tin oxide. Graphite is also the standard bipolar plate in proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells, where moulded carbon and graphite composite plates run about 60% lighter than metal equivalents, and it remains a long-service moderator and reflector material in thermal fission reactors. Carbon nanotubes and graphene are at an earlier stage as electrode materials in fuel cells and dye-sensitised solar cells, while carbon-carbon composites serve gas turbine hot sections.

The market for carbon fibre in wind turbine blades was valued at about $4.99 billion in 2024 and is forecast to grow at roughly 12 to 15% a year to 2033 depending on scope. Spar caps account for about 61% of the carbon fibre used in blades, and around 45% of newly manufactured rotor blades incorporated carbon fibre in 2024, up from 35% the year before. Dedicated carbon fibre for wind turbines was separately valued at about $1.24 billion in 2025.