An important thing about the wind turbines these days is the factor- height of tower. As the wind turbines work upon the principle of wind flow in upper layer of air. Increasing the height to great extent above the ground is
mandatory as the air too forceful to push blade of a turbine blow not near ground level. In many cases great height is preferred regarding the structure of towers, which sometimes reaches as high as 65 meters. As a result a
general trend of taller towers is being observed these days. Let us find out more !
Stiff competition
Theres is seen a harsh competition among the European manufacturers to outdo each other in race of tower height. The prominent companies in this sector are Bonus, Vestas, WindWorld, WindMaster, Nedwind, Tacke,
Nordex, Carter and Nordtank touching a height range of 50 meters. Vestas a German company has manufactured towers of 53 meters height. In California's San Gorgonio Pass wind turbines at 49 meters high towers are
found.
Does height matters ?
Height at which the turbine is placed is the key factor for the success in generation of wind power. For Germany and deep forested regions of Europe, experts favour a tower height of 60 meters at optimum. While tall towers
are not seen as a dire necessity in case of places in North America. An increase in the technical efficiency of turbines to the extent of 50 percent have been recorded by Non-Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) when tall
towers are used.
Does tall towers matter
Typically the range of height for most of towers is 27 to 55 meters. Except in the areas with higher wind flow where a taller tower is must, generally average height tower will do well. An increase in the performance upto 45%
have been observed. Minnesota state of America is pioneer in efforts to standardize the ideal height levels of the towers vis-a-is the efficiency of the turbine. Studies by Public Service Department involving different height
levels upto 60 meters above ground are underway for checking the best functioning of the wind turbine.
Britain needs low towers
Since the strong winds in Britain blow at height of 40 meters, it is advisable by experts to go for high wind mill towers here. Even in the Wales the government is planning to decrease the height levels of installed wind turbine to
suit the landscape patterns of the region which are being hampered by series of wind mills in countryside.
Performance at cost of aesthetics ?
In case of wind energy utilization the debatable point is the compromise on the aesthetic value of the locations. Furthermore there is sometimes a threat to the aviation traffic. A way out is to mark the tower structure in dark
colour so as to make the aircrafts aware of the presence of the wind mill. However the landscape of the place is certainly distorted to some extent due to the placement of huge towers, and even a monotony impression is
created in the backdrop of the natural scenery of the venue.
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