Design Considerations and Approaches

In the pursuit to increase the megawatts per surface area and to maximise the megawatts/hour output per project dollar the size of wind turbines has been increasing steadily. To capture the higher winds and to accommodate the larger rotor diameter the hub heights have also been steadily increasing. Wind park prospectors and promoters are now required to measure at greater heights than ever before. From 40 to 50 then to 60 metres, the minimum level now seems to be the 80-metre level. The traditional tubular anemometric masts have not been able to go beyond the 60-metre level without becoming inordinately heavy. However, by revisiting the 250-year old Euler column equations and by using the aircraft design approach, a new lightweight structure is now able to achieve the 80-metre measurement at a fraction of the cost of the traditional lattice tower.