A Crane-Less Solution for Great Heights
Concrete towers have become an increasingly popular choice in the wind industry around the world because of their superior ability to support larger turbines at higher hub heights. However, this market is being constrained when it comes to increasing tower height because of the limited availability of the powerful cranes needed to erect such tall towers.
By Ramón López Mendizábal, Director, Esteyco, Spain
Some years ago there were just a few units and a single turbine manufacturer using precast concrete towers. Since then, the market has seen a spectacular increase in the demand for precast concrete towers, with more than two thousand already built. This has allowed for a crucial reduction in the cost of energy because of cost efficiencies in increasing the hub height. Many of the more important markets, each of them with their own particular demands, have begun to adopt these structures, and nowadays all the major turbine manufacturers are looking at the possibility of using concrete towers.
