A high-altitude wind turbine in Schipkau, in the Lausitz region of eastern Germany, has reached its final height of 365 metres. With a hub height of 300 metres, the turbine is the tallest wind energy installation currently built.
The turbine rises well above the surrounding wind turbines in the former lignite mining region, which typically have total heights of 150 to 250 metres. The project, a cooperation between Sprind and Gicon, is intended to investigate the potential of using stronger and more consistent winds at greater heights.
One potential application is to add high-altitude turbines as a second tier to existing wind farms, allowing additional generation from existing sites. According to current estimates for Germany, up to 4,000 such turbines could potentially be installed at existing wind farms. This could increase wind power generation without requiring additional wind farm sites.
