US power technology giant GE and Keystone Tower Systems have installed the world’s first ‘tapered spiral welded’ wind turbine tower, an 89-metre-tall unit topped with workhorse 2.8MW machine.
The technology, in development as part of a “multi-year” collaboration tween the pair, will allow for mobile factories to be set up at a project site to curl and weld flat sheets of steel into 25-foot-diameter towers that could support hub height of some 160-metres.
“This collaboration with Keystone is an example of GE’s commitment to working with partners to bring new and innovative technology to the wind industry and advance domestic manufacturing,” said Vic Abate, GE Renewable Energy’s CEO for its onshore wind business.
