RWE is using ‘Soft-Spot’ foundations for the first time during construction of its 41MW Rea Unificado wind project in Spain, helping deliver what the German utility claims are significant resource and cost savings.
As part of the technology, reinforced concrete spread foundations are used and placed on an EPS layer – an insulating material made of expanded polystyrene.
Instead of transferring the loads to the subsoil, the EPS redistributes them to a donut-shaped surface, which RWE says increases stability and reduces the diameter of the foundation slabs and volume of the concrete used.
