Gicon and SPRIND complete world’s tallest wind turbine

SPRIND, or the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, is an agency operated by the German government which manages unusual tech projects through to realisation.

With headquarters in Leipzig, Germany, the group works on early-stage ideas which are considered too unconventional for private venture capital.

The group does not look to fund incremental tech improvements. Instead, it backs ‘leap’ innovations designed to address societal or economic challenges. Projects include AI-native chip design and fusion reactor technologies.

Gicon and SPRIND wind turbine is said to be the tallest in the world (Photo: SPRIND)

One of the latest projects completed by SPRIND was construction of the Gicon wind turbine in Schipkau, Brandenburg. At a full height of 365 metres or 1,197 ft (300 metre/984 ft turbine height), this is said to be the tallest wind turbine in the world and the second-tallest structure in Germany, behind the Berlin TV tower.

A Liebherr LR 11350 crawler was used in construction of the lattice structure which makes up the lower section of the turbine tower. The crane has a lifting capacity of 1,350 tonnes and a maximum hook height of about 220 metres.

While the LR 11350 was used to assemble the lower sections, the crane did not have the reach to install the upper sections. For this, a telescoping tower section was added to the top of the latticework and, using a strand-jack system, raised the tower to the final height.

The objective of constructing a wind turbine of this extreme height was to access the higher and more consistent winds at those elevations.

To justify the added expense, Gicon first constructed a 300-metre tower which featured 46 measurement devises to better understand wind movement at altitudes above standard turbine towers.

The experiment confirmed that wind speeds at that height were stronger and more consistent. It is expected that the turbine will deliver twice the power output of other models working at between 150 and 250 metres.

It is put forward that more of these mega turbines could be installed within existing wind farms, acting as a secondary layer to maximise energy output.