As a provider of integrated solutions for the interconnected “green energy ecosystem,” ENERCON, based in Aurich, supports its customers in the implementation of onshore wind energy projects. To realize the full potential of a project, the company combines its high-performance, high-yield wind turbines with complementary solution modules and services, thereby increasing customer value and the value of wind energy. The range of the solution portfolio, from which customers select components according to their requirements, extends from planning and installation through management and control, service and maintenance, to the optimization of plant performance during the operational phase.

Part of ENERCON’s mission is also to remove obstacles that stand in the way of successfully implementing customer projects. In some regions, for example, there are complex height and distance restrictions that preclude the use of standard towers from the product portfolio. Thanks to ENERCON’s flexible tower development, customers can—provided a positive economic analysis is always conducted—fall back on competitive alternatives in such cases, as currently demonstrated by the new 120-meter hybrid steel tower for the top-of-the-line E-175 EP5 E2 model.

The “Ostfriesland Tower” was developed to meet specific requirements from customers in ENERCON’s home region. Due to restrictive guidelines from the German Armed Forces regarding airspace surveillance along the coast, wind turbines around ENERCON’s headquarters may not exceed a maximum height (“tip height”) of 218 meters above sea level. Furthermore, for species protection reasons, the distance between the top of the ground and the lower blade tip position (“lower tip height”) on new turbines must not be less than 30 meters—otherwise, there is a risk of significant yield-reducing shutdown periods.

The standard towers of the E-175 EP5 E2 do not meet these specific requirements. An alternative solution was therefore needed. “After all, we’re talking about around 60 new turbines that we want to install together with our customers in our home region,” says Moritz Rodenhausen, Head of Product Management. “This scale guarantees a positive business case for us as a manufacturer as well. Thanks to our flexible tower development, a rapid project-specific tower design was implemented, resulting in the ‘Ostfriesland Tower.’”

This tower is based on ENERCON’s hybrid steel tower technology, which combines segments of the Modular Steel Tower (MST)—made of folded steel plates bolted together—with segments of a Tubular Steel Tower (ST), and has a hub height of 120 meters. With this tower variant, the E-175 EP5 E2 fits precisely within the height and spacing limits specified by military radar and species protection requirements for East Frisia.

“We are pleased to provide our local customers with options that allow them to begin detailed planning of their wind farm projects,” says Moritz Rodenhausen. “Our tower development team has further optimized and significantly accelerated its processes. This enables us to respond even more agilely and flexibly to specific customer requirements.”

However, the new HST tower will not be reserved solely for the East Frisia region: “Since we are having the new tower certified according to IEC and DiBt standards, we automatically meet the certification requirements in many European countries—such as the UK, Italy, Turkey, the Baltic states, Poland, Romania, Portugal, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Greece, and Ireland,” says Maria-Josefa Brand, Tower Product Manager at ENERCON Product Management. “The ‘East Frisia Tower’ will thus enable customers in other market regions to realize their onshore projects with our top model in the future.”

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