Giant of efficiency: VSB and Nordex Group commission 4.5 MW wind turbine

About 10 km south of the Harz, it proudly rises into the sky: the Nordex N149/4.0-4.5, with a total height of 238.5 metres, and rotor diameter of 149 metres. When planning the wind turbine, Katja Felkl, Project Developer at VSB Neue Energien Deutschland GmbH, brought all the threads together: "With the support of the community, we have found an optimal solution for citizens and locations. Roads and cable routes have also been planned in such a way that is optimal for local farmers. In addition, the N149/4.0-4.5 is not only one of the most modern and efficient onshore systems, the rotor blades also rotate on average only half as fast as those of smaller wind turbines.” Ronny Kunath, Head of Realisation at VSB, explains: “This contributes to a harmonious landscape and assists acceptance among the local residents."

Thanks to its height, the modern turbine can use higher-yielding air layers and optimally exploit the full potential of the medium wind location that is Pustleben. It has a nominal output of 4.5 MW at a wind speed of 11.5 metres per second. The optimal conditions for this turbine at exactly this location generate the highest possible annual energy yield, resulting in lower cost of energy production. As a result, the average electricity generation costs are falling and are therefore cheaper than those of lignite-fired power plants.

"With the N149 from Nordex, we are using a high-quality, state-of-the-art wind turbine, which, due to its dimensions, enables a significantly higher yield than smaller, older models. This enables us to make optimum use of wind energy at the site. Our project in Pustleben impressively proves that the development towards larger hub heights and rotor diameters makes it possible to operate wind turbines efficiently even at locations far from the coast, in central and southern Germany. This means that the conditions are in place for these regions to make an even stronger contribution to the energy transition," says Dr. Uwe Kaltenborn, Managing Director of VSB Neue Energien Deutschland GmbH.

A special feature of this system is the Ventur tower with octagonal ground plan, which is composed of precast concrete parts running conically to the height. At a height of about 104 meters, the steel tube tower segments are installed. The hybrid tower has a total combined hub height of 164 metres, upon which, the Nordex turbine nacelle type N149/4.0-4.5 sits. This new turbine will produce low-cost, clean electricity for approximately 3,800 households per year.

The wind turbine in the municipality of Mitteldorf complements the Wipperdorf wind farm, which VSB commissioned in 2017.