Gaildorf, near Stuttgart in Germany, is now the home of the world's tallest wind turbine, with a hub height of 178 metres and a total height of 264.5 metres. The wind turbine has set new standards for the German energy transition and is also part of a unique storage concept.
The turbine has been installed as part of a wind farm consisting of four turbines in total with hub heights of at least 155 metres. The turbines are equipped with powerful, 3.4 MW, GE generators and will begin to supply clean energy to the German grid in Spring 2018. The turbines are combined with a modern pumped-storage power plant that enables more efficient production and storage of renewable energy.
The new storage concept utilises the foundation of the wind turbine as a water reservoir, resulting in a 40 metre increase in the height of the turbine. This provides major benefits in that each additional metre of hub height increases the annual energy yield by 0.5 to 1 percent. High hub heights also mean less wind turbulence and significantly better wind yield, especially for inland locations with weak wind conditions.
Image: Max Bogle Renewables
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