Posters

Abstract

The preliminary technical and economical evaluation of a new concept of wind turbine tower is described. The Self-erecting Tower is based on post-tensioned concrete panels with a steel frame, and incorporates an internal crane that moves along the axial direction of the partially erected tower to lift the panels that conform the tower. Additionally, on the top of the tower, a system coupled to a platform is assembled with the lifting components to hoist the rest of the WTG. Finally, resulting in a nacelle housing that includes a permanent tool to facilitate maintenance and end-of-life disassembly. The SeT concept avoids the requirement of an external crane taller than the hub height. The evaluation was performed considering the 5 MW NREL reference wind turbine installed at a hub height of 160 m. Different design candidates were evaluated using finite element analysis, to obtain a design option that could fulfilled the structural requirements. Later the material and lifting cost were estimated and compared to documented reference towers. The material cost for the SeT design was 10% greater than the reference tower, and an important 88% percent reduction on the lifting cost was estimated.