Lincoln Electric cut the ribbon on their 2.5 MW turbine on August 23, 2011. It may be the largest turbine in a large metropolitan area. Lake Erie and Euclid, Ohio are in the background
A designer, developer, and manufacturer of arc welding products has stepped into the world of renewable energy by building a wind tower on the grounds of its world headquarters and manufacturing campus in Euclid, Ohio, just east of downtown Cleveland. Lincoln Electric recently cut the ribbon on a 2.5-MW turbine mounted on an 80m tower. The nacelle and components came from Germany based Kennersys, the blades from Poland, and the tower from a Lincoln Electric user in Nebraska. The company expects to generate up to 10% of the power needed by its main plant in Euclid and save up to $500,000 a year in energy costs. The structure, one of the largest urban wind towers in North America, evolved out of a strategic partnership between Lincoln Electric and the Great Lakes Energy Development Task Force.
“The tower represents important cost savings, as well as our commitment to integrating renewable energy sources, among other ongoing green initiatives, into our manufacturing processes,” says George Blankenship, President, Lincoln Electric North America. “It stands as a symbol of Lincoln Electric’s commitment to the wind tower industry by showcasing the benefits our welding solutions offer to a prominent, fast-growing business segment.”
A few fun facts about the project include:
- Measures 135 m (443 ft) from tower base to blade tip in 12 o’clock position.
- Blades measure 50 m (164 ft) from hub center to blade tip
- 595 cubic yards of concrete filled the foundation base and pedestal
- 65 tons of rebar reinforce the base
- Located on the southeast corner of Lincoln Electric World Headquarters Campus at East 222nd Street and St. Clair Avenue in Euclid, Ohio, 1.7 miles south of Lake Erie shoreline
- The tower has four welded sections
- The nacelle measures 3.6 x 4 x 10.6 m (12 x 13 x 35 ft.) and weighs more than 198,000 lb.
- A total of 624 bolts secure the tower components, with 240 bolts measuring 1-7/8-in. diameter and 384 measuring 1-3/8 in.
- Roughly 2,800 cubic yards of earth were excavated to 14 ft below grade for base construction
- Overall weight of the tower, including the nacelle and the hub, is more than 800,000 pounds
- Wind operating speed is 3 to 25 m/s (6.5 to 56 mph).
A Schnable trailer carrying a tower section has just inches to spare as it passes under a railroad bridge.
A portion of funding for the $5.9 million project came from a $350,000 loan from Cuyahoga County, while another $1.125 million in funds came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 via a State Energy Program Grant from the Ohio Department of Development and the U.S. Department of Energy. Lincoln Electric funded the remainder of the cost. The company, however, credits the assistance of the local, state and federal governments with making this landmark project a reality.
Lincoln Electric
Filed Under: Construction, News, Towers
