Lattice and Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers. Comparative Structural Investigation

Nafsika Stavridou,Charalampos C Baniotopoulos,Efthymios Koltsakis

doi:10.3390/en13236325

Nafsika Stavridou, Charalampos C Baniotopoulos + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13236325

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Abstract

Renewable energy is expected to experience epic growth in the coming decade, which is reflected in the record new installations since 2010. Wind energy, in particular, has proved its leading role among sustainable energy production means, by the accelerating rise in total installed capacity and by its consistently increasing trend. Taking a closer look at the history of wind power development, it is obvious that it has always been a matter of engineering taller turbines with longer blades. An increase in the tower height means an increase in the material used, thereby, impacting the initial construction cost and the total energy consumed. In the present study, a numerical investigation is carried out in order to actively compare conventional cylindrical shell towers with lattice towers in terms of material use, robustness and environmental impact. Lattice structures are proved to be equivalently competitive to conventional cylindrical solutions since they can be designed to be robust enough while being a much lighter tower in terms of material use. With detailed design, lattice wind turbine towers can constitute the new generation of wind turbine towers.

Highlights

Towards a clean energy future, the reduction of carbon emissions for climate change mitigation has been the key factor of the International Renewable Energy Agency agenda [1]
When decisions for energy-system investment are made, all aspects of planning, development and construction are taken into account when assessing different solutions [5], and having in mind that the tower of a wind turbine constitutes more than 25% of the initial construction cost [6], designers should focus on constructing a robust structure with minimized costs
The present paper addresses material use optimization that can be achieved in lattice towers of different heights by comparing them to the equivalent tubular steel towers

Summary

Introduction

Towards a clean energy future, the reduction of carbon emissions for climate change mitigation has been the key factor of the International Renewable Energy Agency agenda [1]. Sustainable energy production is critical in order to preserve current climate conditions and limit the environmental pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels. Global energy demand is constantly growing, and the implementation of sustainable energy production is considered imperative;. Due to its infinite nature and great potential, has shown great expansion between renewables in the last decade. When decisions for energy-system investment are made, all aspects of planning, development and construction are taken into account when assessing different solutions [5], and having in mind that the tower of a wind turbine constitutes more than 25% of the initial construction cost [6], designers should focus on constructing a robust structure with minimized costs. Aiming towards a zero-carbon economy and focusing on reducing

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