As tall as Berlin's TV tower:construction begins on world's tallest wind turbine
The world's tallest wind turbine is currently being built in Schipkau, Brandenburg. It is intended to usher in a third level of renewable energy production.
(Image: hpphtns/Shutterstock.com)
Construction of the world's tallest wind turbine is beginning this week in the Brandenburg municipality of Schipkau. This was reported by RBB, citing the operating company Gicon. The center of the wind turbine currently under construction will be 300 meters above ground, and the tips of the rotor blades will reach a height of 365 meters. This makes the total structure only a few meters shorter than the Berlin TV tower. To ensure that the turbine remains stable, it does not have the typical closed tower base but instead a double scaffolding structure with an inner and outer section. The aim is to harness the significantly higher yields offered by high-altitude winds.
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(Image:Â Gicon)
The yield expectations are based on measurements taken over a year on a 300-meter tower. “At this height, the wind not only has higher average values but also a wider distribution, which leads to significantly more full-load hours for wind turbines at this height,” was the verdict just a few days after it went into operation. The expected output is therefore in the range of offshore turbines, with the advantage of lower operating expenses of an onshore turbine. According to RBB, the record-breaking wind turbine is scheduled to go into operation next year, one year later than originally planned.
Renewable energies on three levels
With this huge wind turbine, Gicon aims to establish renewable energy generation on a third level. While photovoltaic systems produce solar power on the ground and conventional wind turbines rotate at low heights, the wind at higher altitudes will be harnessed. Once completed, up to 1,000 more are to follow across Germany. If they are installed between existing wind turbines, no additional land will be required. “The towers are so high that the rotors do not overlap and take the wind away from each other,” the MDR quotes the Gicon founder as saying. The design was invented by a 90-year-old engineer from Leipzig.
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RBB adds that although there was some local opposition to the project, the protests were relatively minor. For example, a nearby flying club filed an urgent appeal against the construction, but this was rejected by the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court. The operating company has also announced that it will give the local population a share of the income generated by the giant wind turbine. Under such models, the company has already paid out around three million euros since 2015. The money has been used to co-finance a new fire truck and renovate schools and roads. The giant wind turbine is expected to operate for 20 years.
(mho)
