'Self-erecting' wind turbine project hits major testing milestone

A new wave of technology is changing how turbine towers are constructed. After a successful launch at a testing facility in China, 17 new types of hybrid turbines are set to go up in Western Australia later this year.

Renew Economy reported on the exciting development, which a Spanish company, Nabrawind, revealed in a video on its LinkedIn page.

"From Prototype to Power" was the caption for the video. "The first Envision Energy wind turbine with Nabrawind's self-erecting tower is already running at full capacity — a milestone that proves innovation works in the real world."

Nabrawind developed the hybrid system that eliminates the traditional need for massive cranes. China's Envision Energy collaborated on the project with 7.8-megawatt turbines generating energy at the top of the tower. 

This innovation can sharply reduce concrete use and the pollution it takes to create it. The turbines and the tower are designed to withstand and capitalize on conditions on both ends of the spectrum.

In low-wind conditions, the tower's height of up to 188 meters (617 feet) will enable it to access wind. That, along with the project's 7.8-MW power rating and rotor diameter of 182 meters (597 feet), are records for an onshore project. 

The turbines are also designed to persevere through cyclone conditions, which has been an important capability for many Chinese-built turbines.

After the rollout of 17 of these Nabrawind towers at Fortescue's Nullagine Wind farm, there is the potential for a much larger deployment at the proposed Bonney Downs wind farm in Australia. That project could generate up to 2.1 gigawatts, which is almost 20 times the 113-MW Nullagine facility is expected to provide.

All of these steps can provide a further boost to Australia's rapid transition to green energy sources, such as wind. Despite some initial resistance to onshore wind in the country, this development is another promising step toward deploying more wind capacity domestically.

"Great to see the first turbine up and running," Envision Energy wrote on LinkedIn. "Looking forward to delivering the full project and supporting Fortescue's Real Zero journey."

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