Title: Wind turbine towers: Precast concrete Hexcrete may help increase
renewable energy capacity with taller hub heights
Date Published: November-December 2015
Volume: 60
Issue: 6
Page Number: 33-38
Authors: Sri Sritharan
https://doi.org/10.15554/pcij60.6-01
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Abstract
Wind-energy production has been growing rapidly in the
Midwest, but not in other regions of the United States.
Increased wind-turbine hub heights of 328 to 459 ft (100
to 140 m) could drastically change this. As wind-turbine
towers get taller than 263 ft (80 m), a concrete solution
may become more cost-effective than the steel tubular
option. The Hexcrete concept was developed with the aim
of revolutionizing wind-turbine towers for hub heights of
328 ft (100 m) and more. This tower uses hexagonal columns
with posttensioning and rectangular/tapered panels
as bracing elements. The prefabricated modules are assembled
using posttensioning to form a tapered tower with a
hexagonal cross section. Large-scale testing has been used to
validate the Hexcrete concept and its connections.
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