Lattice and Tubular Steel Wind Turbine Towers. Comparative Structural Investigation

Nafsika Stavridou, Efthymios Koltsakis and Charalampos C. Baniotopoulos
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Nafsika Stavridou: Civil Engineering Department, Steel Structures Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Efthymios Koltsakis: Civil Engineering Department, Steel Structures Laboratory, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Charalampos C. Baniotopoulos: Civil Engineering Department, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 23, 1-21

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.

Keywords: wind turbines; towers; lattice structures; steel structures; tubular towers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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