In-house-developed tall hybrid tower to better boost energy production
In November 2023 the Nordex Group installed the first N163/5.X turbines on in-house-developed hybrid concrete and steel towers with hub heights of 168 metres in a wind farm in Finland. Now, after the wintertime, the installation of the remaining 23 turbines will continue this year.
The 168-metres hybrid towers are the tallest the Nordex Group has installed so far. The towers have been developed based on the extensive expertise acquired by the Group in designing and producing concrete towers in Brazil, South Africa and Mexico.
Javier Alvarez Yoldi, VP Concrete Tower at the Nordex Group says: “The new in-house-developed hybrid tower is based on the well-known technology that Nordex has deployed for more than 15 years. More than 2,500 concrete tower units are already in successful operation. So, the hybrid tower is not a disruptive technical change, rather the natural evolution of a robust product that has been adapted and improved to reach higher hub heights.”
A hybrid tower consists of convex concrete segments, up to 20 metres long, which are assembled and braced on site before the steel sections, nacelle and rotor are installed on top.
In Q3 2024 the first installation of a further, even taller 179-meter hybrid tower is planned in Germany. Dr.-Ing. Max Jungk, VP Global Product Strategy & Sales Support at the Nordex Group says: “Germany is one of the target markets. The tall hybrid tower is our answer to low-wind sites far from the coast to better boost energy production in these areas. High electricity prices make this case even more attractive, so the timing is good.”
The first project with this 179-meter tower will be 80 km from Rostock, where it will be produced. On top of testing the design, the prototypes in Finland and Germany will be used to validate all processes, from manufacturing, transport, and pre-assembly to the final installation on site.
The manufacturing ramp-up in Germany is planned already for end of March this year. The Nordex Group has industrialized the product and production processes and the way of constructing factories for concrete towers. That is a clear advantage, that allows the company to significantly reduce the time to market and secure high product quality.
As most of the projects in Germany are of no more than five turbines, the Group aims to have production hubs in strategically relevant areas from which it can distribute to different projects. Besides starting hybrid tower production in Rostock, the company is also analyzing potential locations for a second hub in the south of the country.
With the in-house-developed new hybrid tower the Nordex Group is adding a new variant to its existing range of suppliers for hybrid towers. Looking at the German market, the company will decide in each individual case whether it will use its own technology with precast concrete parts or the systems from established suppliers depending on project timing, the construction site itself, and the supplier’s capacities.