This 164-m hybrid tower has been installed in Germany, and is made of a 100-m concrete tower and two tubular steel tower segments.

Nordex has installed the world’s tallest wind turbine to date in Hausbay, which is in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. With a hub height of 164 meters (m) and a rotor length of 65.5 m, the N131/3300 wind-power system reaches a total height of just under 230 m.

Located roughly 100 kilometers west of Frankfurt/Main, the Hausbay-Bickenbach wind park has been developed by Kreuzberger & Spengler Regenerative Energie from Dunningen-Seedorf.

The 164-m hybrid tower is made of a 100-m concrete tower and two tubular steel tower segments. Over the last few years, this design has been used for over 500 Nordex N117 and N131 wind-power systems with a total of height of up to 200 m. Consequently, this enhanced version incorporates considerable practical experience.

The N131/3300 will be able to make use of air layers offering a greater yield, thereby increasing annual output. At the same time, it is exposed to less turbulence in hilly and forest-rich terrain. Certified in accordance with Dibt (German Institute for Building Technology) guideline 2012 for wind zone S, the turbine is particularly designed for low-wind regions with wind speeds of an annual average of up to 7.5 m/s.

Type testing for the N131/3300 with a hub height of 164 m was completed in January of this year. Noise emission and measurement reports for the 3-MW and the 3.3-MM version of the N131 are also available.

The Hasbay-Bickenbach project uses a 100-m concrete tower supplied by long-standing Nordex partner Max Bögl for the first time. As a leading producer of prefabricated parts, the group has been building combined prestressed/steel hybrid towers since 2010. Production of the 3.80-m tall elements with a uniform wall thickness of 30 centimeters at the company’s own facilities ensures consistently high quality and precision of the components, enabling the hybrid tower to be assembled within two weeks.

The N131/3300 is a new version of the N131/3000 from the Generation Delta range. With a rotor diameter of 131 m and a nominal output 10% higher than that of the N131/3000, it can boost yields by between four and 6% depending on the location.

Via the N131/3300, Nordex is completing the next systematic step towards its own goal of additionally reducing the cost of energy achieved by its turbines. As well as this, larger hub heights permit additional yield gains: The N131/3300 is available on a hybrid tower with a hub height of 134 m or 164 m. It has a guaranteed noise emission level of a low 104.5 dB(A) – even in yield-optimized operations without the use of any acoustic assistance.