Enercon eyes ‘green steel’ wind turbine tower

Enercon plans to install a wind turbine with a “lower-emissions steel tower” at a wind farm in Lower Saxony as it looks to become more sustainable.

It will work alongside Ilsenburger Grobblech – a subsidiary of German steelmaker Salzgitter – and wind turbine tower maker Schönebecker Maschinenbau to develop and install the tower.

Enercon claims that the tower – due to be installed at WestWind’s Diepholzer Bruch wind farm – will be responsible for 70% fewer CO2 emissions than a conventional steel tower.

Ilsenburger Grobblech will produce steel for the tower entirely from scrap made in an electric arc furnace. Renewable sources will account for a “significant share” of the energy-intensive process, Enercon said.

A spokesman told Windpower Monthly: “We see this partnership as a starting point. With our sustainability strategy we make a clear commitment to integrate sustainability systematically and measurably in our products, services, and processes. This also applies to tower variants we offer our customers. 

“How the option ‘lower-emissions steel tower’ develops in future also depends on customer demand.”