Taller turbines produce 20% more energy

Extending the height of wind turbines can increase their power generation by up to 20%, a Dutch wind turbine firm has claimed.

Netherlands-based Advanced Tower Systems (ATS) this week installed a taller turbine in Grevenbroich Windtest field near Cologne, Germany to test its assertion.

“This is a great day for wind energy.” said Frans Brughuis, ATS managing director.

“Now the pilot project can demonstrate the high cost-effectiveness and efficiency of the ATS concept.”

Most land-based wind turbines have a hub-height of around 100 metres. By comparison, ATS’s taller system has a hub-height of 133 metres and an overall system height of 180 metres.

Landforms, trees, and buildings can all reduce wind intensity or cause haphazard breezes, reducing the energy produced by wind turbines.

A higher turbine reduces the chance of these obstructions having a negative effect on energy production, ATS said.

The higher cost of building a taller turbine is recouped in approximately four years due to the extra energy produced, ATS said, adding that maintenance costs for the turbines are very low.