Wind Towers Set To Reach Up To 170 Meters
Wind turbines are expected to reach up to heights of 170 meters thanks to new construction techniques and materials.
Wind power engineering specialist K2 Management is predicting that, thanks to new construction techniques and materials, wind turbine towers are going to continue to grow in height — continuing a trend of growth over the last decade.
The basic goal of increasing the height of wind turbines is to push the turbine blades into the stronger winds that blow higher up.
For example, K2 explains that a 3 MW wind turbine located in a forested area with an average wind speed of 6 meters per second would see a 13% increase more wind speed if the tower was doubled in height from 70 meters to 140 meters. That means an annual energy yield growth of 30%, or up to 35% if the tower was increased from 70 meters to 170 meters.
Currently, the tallest turbine tower is 150 meters, and an average 48% increase in wind turbine hub height has occurred since 1999. And, according to K2, thanks to new technology developments like module concrete structures, K2 believes it can manufacture turbine towers that could grow almost as high as France’s Eiffel Tower.
“170 meter towers could become a common sight in the near future in markets like the USA and Germany as part of a new renewable skyline,” said Henrik Stamer, K2 Management CEO. “We expect to see more of these mega designs as we help our clients get the most out of their wind projects.”
K2 claims to have a massive network of experts around the globe which it believes give the company a perfect insight into the possible future of wind tower design.
“As a company that is at the global cutting edge of technology we are helping push the limits of the wind industry in terms of power generation efficiency, cost-effectiveness and return on investment; and these new mega wind turbine towers are a case in point,” Stamer added.
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