GICON® Group on the way to Germany's first high-altitude wind tower
The Renewable Energy Sources Act set a nationwide target of expanding onshore wind energy to a total of "71 gigawatts" by 2030 (quote: Federal Environment Agency). The current federal government plans to build up to 5 GW of new wind capacity annually starting in 2023. Important challenges for a sustainable energy industry, which is already reaching its limits. The more than 29,000 existing German wind turbines currently reach a total of 55 GW. Many of these turbines are at the end of their service life and repowering is not economically feasible in some cases. In addition, there is limited space for possible wind farm expansions or new developments.
This is where wind turbines with hub heights greater than 200 meters and rated outputs between 6 and 12 MW come in. With the help of these innovative high-altitude wind turbines, which can also be installed as additional turbines in existing wind farms, the expansion targets could come within reach and provide new tailwind for the onshore wind sector and Germany as an industrial location. With the approach of using high-altitude wind turbines, up to 3,000 additional turbines are conceivable in existing wind farms in Germany alone. This corresponds to an additional output of up to 30 GW of rated onshore wind power and thus, in the best case, half of the expansion targets of the Federal Republic. For Germany as an industrial location, a very large share of local value creation can also be expected, as medium-sized steel construction companies can be comprehensively integrated. This share is at least 70 percent and secures jobs in the regions directly involved. In addition, by ensuring renewable energies in rural areas, the basis for new settlements of energy-intensive industries can also be guaranteed by providing green electricity and meeting both CO2 reduction and the corresponding legal requirements.
High-altitude wind towers also make a significant contribution to the effective use of wind farm land, since an approximately 40 percent higher yield per megawatt (MW) can be expected. On the other hand, new wind farms can be built on two levels at once.
The new GICON® wind measurement mast project is also directly related to this topic.
GICON® receives an order worth 2.8 million euros for wind measurements at a height of 300 m
GICON®-Großmann Ingenieur Consult GmbH, as a company of the GICON®-Group, has been awarded the contract for a wind measurement program by the Federal Agency for Leap Innovations - SprinD GmbH with a total volume of approx. 2.8 million Euro in December 2021. The "beventum GmbH", founded as a subsidiary of SPRIND, commissioned GICON®-Consult with the measurement campaign for a high-altitude wind turbine as well as scientific investigation for the shortening of mast measurement durations.
The GICON® project focuses on wind measurement up to a height of 300 m with a measuring mast and two LiDAR systems, which are to be erected at different locations in Germany. Among other things, the construction of a 300 m high wind measurement mast is planned in the district of Oberspreewald-Lausitz in Brandenburg.
Within the scope of this order, GICON® extends its range of services to wind measurements according to Technical Guideline 6 (TR6), especially for particularly high altitudes. This involves determining the wind potential and energy yield at wind turbine sites. "This is enormously important for regions and project sponsors, since a compliant measurement according to TR6 makes wind farms bankable in the first place," GICON® wind expert Dr. Frank Adam explains the procedure.
Among others The GICON® Group cooperates in this project with Ge:Net GmbH and Meteologix AG.
The measurements are also in line with the many years of engineering services as well as experience of GICON® in the field of onshore wind and the development of a tower concept for hub heights greater than 200m. A pilot plant of the patented GICON® high-altitude wind tower with hub heights of 200 - 300m is planned to be built in Schipkau, Brandenburg, in 2023. With the realization of the GICON® high-altitude wind tower as well as new findings from GICON® wind measurements, Germany's ambitious expansion target in the wind sector can become reality in a timely manner.