Germany builds the world's tallest wind turbine at 365 meters

German company GICON has unveiled a wind turbine standing 365 meters tall — the tallest structure of its kind in the world and the second-tallest structure in Germany. According to company founder Jochen Großmann, the tower is 35 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower, which reaches 330 meters including its antenna.

A “tower within a tower” design

The key feature of the design is a “tower within a tower” system: an outer and inner support structure allow the turbine to be raised like a telescope. The generator is mounted at a height of 170 meters and then lifted to the top using the inner tower — making it possible, for the first time anywhere in the world, to install a rotor at such a height.

“Until now, the world record for rotor hub height was about 200 meters,” said Großmann. “People have always wanted to go higher, because the wind blows stronger up there.” At a height of 300 meters, the wind is so strong that the turbine generates more than twice as much energy as turbines at lower heights.

Saving land and faster approvals

Tall turbines save land: new installations can be placed directly between existing wind turbines, creating, according to Großmann, two tiers of height within a single wind farm. “The less land you need, the better the public's attitude and the higher the economic efficiency,” he noted.

Another advantage is the ability to use existing sites. In Germany, getting a permit for a new wind farm can take five to seven years, with several years spent on spatial planning alone. But if a new turbine is integrated into an existing farm, that saves three to five years. “This means a huge acceleration in the development of wind power, combined with lower land use,” Großmann emphasized.

Final technical work is now underway at the site, and the company plans an official launch in November of this year. The pilot project received around 25 million euros from Germany's Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, SPRIND. In the long term, Großmann expects hundreds and thousands of similar installations in Germany and beyond.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz