Spanish wind technology company Nabrawind SL will design and supply four self-erecting turbine towers for a wind project in Namibia. The project has been developed by Franco-Namibian company InnoSun Energy, part of French independent renewables company Innovent.
Nabrawind’s solution consists of a rock anchored tower with the Nabralift transition piece as the foundation. The Nabralift tower employs a self-erecting system that lifts the standard tubular tower section with the nacelle and the rotor by adding frame modules below them. The frame modules are connected to the transition piece, which will have three points directly anchored to the rock subsoil to distribute the load. With this structure, the concrete requirements of the project are reduced by 95%, saving around 1,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to Nabrawind.
The tower design is a cost-competitive alternative for wind projects built in places where securing enough concrete may be a challenge, the Spanish firm added.
Construction is due to start in the second half of 2020. The Namibian project will be the second collaboration between Innovent and Nabrawind. The French firm last year ordered a Nabralift tower for a wind project in Morocco.