Danes test tower erection technology at 20 MW plant

A 20 MW project in Estonia aims to demonstrate how wind turbines can be erected without using a crane. Since the towers for the machines will be 80 metres high, researchers expect the new technology will get a good testing. Global Green Energy of Denmark, a subsidiary of Danish-based developer World Wide Wind (story page 30), is making final preparations to erect eight 2.5 MW Nordex machines on the Paldiski peninsula. The tower will be made of concrete, explains Jens Peter Andersen of World Wide Wind. A set of metal teeth will be cast into the sides of each tower, onto which a lift can be connected and driven up and down. As each piece of the tower is cast, workers can use the lift to cast the next piece. The nacelle and rotors will also be installed from the lift, and only one lift is expected to be needed at a site. This project is located at a discontinued Soviet nuclear submarine base, giving good potential for a wind power project, Andersen says. The infrastructure is there, a powerful electricity network is in place, and the area is sparsely populated. The project has a EUR 2.3 million subsidy from the EU -- about 10% of the total cost. Partners include Garrad Hassan of the UK, Tallinn Technical University and NCC of Scandinavia.