Foundation laid for the world's tallest wind turbine

The foundation stone for the world's largest wind turbine was laid last week in the Lusatian community of Schipkau in the state of Brandenburg. Blades over 100 meters long can be mounted on a hub up to 300 meters high. This means that a total height of around 400 meters is theoretically possible.

The planned height of the turbine in Schipkau is 364 meters, reports MDR. Due to the height, 40 percent more wind energy can be generated. This results in twice as much electricity yield with the same rotor diameter. This is the result of measurements. The wind conditions were investigated for a year using a 300-meter-high measuring tower. "At this height, the wind not only has higher average values, but also a broader distribution, which leads to significantly more full-load hours for wind turbines at this height," Jochen Großmann, founder of the Dresden-based company Gicon, which developed and erected the turbine, told MDR. He draws a comparison with offshore turbines at sea. However, as it is being built on land, "the costs of construction and maintenance are significantly lower, which has a positive effect on profitability".

In the future, the high-altitude wind turbine could also be used to develop so-called low-wind regions, where it was previously not possible to use wind energy economically. Gicon itself speaks of a "technological breakthrough in wind energy" and a "significant milestone in the expansion of renewable energies".

Innovative design

According to MDR, the construction of the huge wind turbines is based on an idea by Leipzig engineer Horst Bendix. In the system he designed, he replaced the classic wind turbine tower with a tripod construction consisting of a vertical column and two support columns and placed the generators on the ground. The wind energy is directed downwards to these generators via a belt system. However, the Dresden-based company Gicon, which was entrusted with the development and implementation of the wind turbine in Lusatia and has been working on ideas for high-altitude wind turbines for some time, did not place the generators at the base of the tower but at the top of the hub, contrary to Bendix's ideas. Instead of three legs, there are four. According to the MDR report, the design with an inner and outer tower is entirely new. This allows the turbine attached to the inner, movable part to be extended to a height of 300 meters.

Unlike other wind turbines, there was no opposition to the construction plans from the local population in Schipkau and the surrounding area. The reason given is that Gicon informed the residents about the project and involved them from the outset. The new turbines also do not require any additional space, but will be built between existing wind turbines. "The towers are so high that the rotors do not overlap and take the wind away from each other," explained Großmann. According to current plans, the first wind turbine will go into operation in the summer of next year.

(akn)