Lean Green and Circular Design Framework for Additively Manufactured Components in Renewable Energy Systems

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-750-7_46How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Additive Manufacturing; Eco-design; Lightweight Structures; Manufacturing Assessment; Topology Optimization; Sustainable Manufacturing; Renewable Energy Systems; Circular Economy; Green Design; Life Cycle Assessment; Lean Manufacturing; Integrated Design

Abstract

As new clean energy technologies such as wind turbines, solar trackers, micro-hydro energy units, and energy storage systems become more accessible, the need for new, lightweight, high-performance, and eco-friendly materials becomes more critical. Conventional subtractive manufacturing methods are not suitable for energy sustainable systems due to high material wastage and carbon footprint associated with these processes. Even though certain traditional manufacturing methods seem suitable for the construction of energy sustainable systems, the carbon footprint and material waste associated with the manufacturing methods is not justified. With design flexibility and the ability to potentially be used in an eco-friendly manner, Additive Manufacturing (AM) can be used to overcome these challenges. However, current AM practices do not incorporate design and manufacturing strategies that maximize life cycle, recovery, and end-of-life design strategies to reduce their eco-impact. A Lean-Green-Circular (LGC) Design Framework is proposed for the additively manufactured components for renewable energy manufacturing. The framework incorporates the principles of lean manufacturing for operational efficiency, green design for energy and material reduction, and second life for circular economy practices involving reuse, remanufacturing, and recycling. The framework offers a unified digital workflow that integrates CAD-CAE, AM toolchains, topological optimization, and lattice lightweight structures. A digital workflow is used for design and engineering, manufactured using AM toolchains (additive manufacturing). Multi-objective optimization is performed on the design to improve structural performance, recyclability, and reduce material, production energy, and emissions throughout the life cycle (eco-efficiency). The LGC Design framework is experimentally validated using a 3D-printed wind turbine bracket, and the results demonstrate 34-46% less material, 30% less embodied energy, and 50% better recyclability compared to their CNC Machined counterparts. Results confirm that the frameworks provide components that are structurally sound, and economically sustainable. Framework embeds sustainability parameters directly into the design and manufacturing workflow, providing a scalable way to operationalize circular and low-carbon. LGC Design framework offers a transformative model for smart, decentralized renewables manufacturing, achieving a new paradigm in the production of additively manufactured components. It enables the resource-efficient production of high-quality and environmentally responsible components.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aakansha Soy
AU  - Roohee Khan
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/31
TI  - Lean Green and Circular Design Framework for Additively Manufactured Components in Renewable Energy Systems
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Design, Manufacturing, and Sustainable Energy Systems (ICADMSES 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 629
EP  - 640
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-750-7_46
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-750-7_46
ID  - Soy2026
ER  -