Abstract
Abstract Background Nowadays wind energy is becoming increasingly significant in the planning, development and growth of new electricity supply systems. Special attention has been given to land-based turbines for ensuring the efficient economical operation of massive hubs rising 100m above the ground, based on the idea that the bigger the turbine, the more complicated are the transportation and assembly processes. Methods A new design of a wind turbine has several advantages compared to conventional designs; one of these advantages lies in the use of prefabricated elements, which increases efficiency. The implementation of information technology as a complement to prefabrication techniques is a further aim of this research, which seeks to improve the overall performance of the project. Consequently, Building Information Modelling is suggested as the most suitable methodology for complementing off-site techniques and reaching higher efficiency by improving design, manufacture, transportation and assembly processes. Results This paper will present the research project “hybrid² tower for wind turbines” funded by the State of Hesse, Germany, which focuses on a new, efficient and economical design for high wind turbine towers. The new hybrid² tower is composed of a concrete tower containing prefabricated concrete quarter-circle elements, steel beams and a steel tube tower on the top. The combination of concrete and steel beams improves the static and dynamic performance of the main supporting structure. With this new design, the weight of the concrete tower is estimated to decrease by 40 % compared to a traditional full-concrete tower and, as a positive consequence, the cost of assembly (including assembly on site) is reduced. Conclusions Due to the energy revolution, a special focus is put on the development of renewable energies, especially wind power. The steadily increasing hub heights of wind turbines means that tower structures have to be more massive. The development of the hybrid² tower by using Building Information Modeling and prefabrication techniques leads to an optimized performance and reduces transport and assembly costs.
Highlights
Nowadays wind energy is becoming increasingly significant in the planning, development and growth of new electricity supply systems
The self-weight a hybrid2 tower is reduced by the use of trussed beams and the resultant open structure; smaller cranes are used for on-site construction than is the case with full-concrete towers
Building Information Modelling makes a significant contribution to the development, planning and assembly of the hybrid2 tower
Summary
Nowadays wind energy is becoming increasingly significant in the planning, development and growth of new electricity supply systems. The aim is to shut down the plants gradually. For this reason, Germany puts special focus on the development of renewable energies like wind power, solar energy, hydroelectricity, biomass energy, etc. Germany puts special focus on the development of renewable energies like wind power, solar energy, hydroelectricity, biomass energy, etc Of these renewable forms of energy, wind power has the greatest. In relation to the other top 20 countries which have installed wind power systems, Germany is in second place in terms of surface area (right behind Denmark) with 99 kW/km.
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