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Self‑Erecting, In‑Situ Manufactured, Wind Energy Tower, Development of Nacelle Assembly Lifting System--Native American Technologies Company (N. A. Tech. Inc.), P.O.Box 39, Golden, CO 80402‑0039; 303‑279‑7942; www.natech-inc.com
Dr. Jerald Edward Jones, Principal Investigator, jonesje1@aol.com
Dr. Jerald Edward Jones, Business Official, jonesje1@aol.com
DOE Grant No. DE‑FG02‑07ER84868
Amount: $100,000
Large
utility scale wind turbines are getting so large that transportation
limitations are driving final, onsite assembly costs. To address this
problem, this project will design an apparatus for placing wind turbine
components – the nacelle, generator, gear box, rotor, and blades – on top of an
in situ fabricated, self-erecting
tower, without using an external crane.
The self-erecting tower itself, known as UltraTall, is the result of
project funded by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The current project builds on UltraTall – in
which a (1/15) reduced scale, 5.3 meter tall, 4 section,
self-erecting tower was fabricated and tested – thereby demonstrating the
feasibility of in situ fabrication
and self-erection.
Commercial
Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: An
enabling technology for the production of self-erecting towers should lower the
costs of wind energy will be lower cost by 20% or more. This will accelerate the implementation of
wind energy and speed progress toward the renewable energy goals of the