In response to South Africa’s increasing demand for reliable and cost-effective renewable energy, Nordex Energy South Africa has confirmed the market readiness of its most powerful onshore wind turbine to date: the N175/6.X. This follows the Nordex Group’s successful installation of the turbine on its in-house developed hybrid concrete-steel tower in Santow, Germany, earlier this year.
The N175/6.X wind turbine developed by the Nordex Group has a hub height up to 179 metres. [Photo credit: Nordex Group/Ulrich Mertens]
The Santow installation is the highest Nordex tower yet built and the second deployment of the N175/6.X. The hybrid tower design draws on more than 15 years of Nordex’s experience with concrete tower technology, including in South Africa, and has been refined to support increased hub heights and enhanced structural efficiency.
The change in scope from N163/6.X to N175/6.X relates mainly to the longer and optimised blade and subsequent structural component reinforcements to carry the higher loads induced by the blade, while maintaining the underlying technological design concept
Robert Timmers, Managing Director of Nordex Energy South Africa, says, “With more wind projects moving to inland areas due to grid access constraints, technology that can maximise output in lower wind regimes becomes more important. Hub height plays a key role in that, and the hybrid tower supports these requirements as well as offering flexibility in construction and logistics.”
As part of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition, which includes the scheduled decommissioning of coal-fired power stations, the introduction of the hybrid tower offers socio-economic benefits. The local manufacturing of concrete tower sections will stimulate regional employment, develop local skills, and promote the procurement of South African raw materials.
“By enabling localised production and job creation, the hybrid tower solution supports the broader goals of the energy transition in South Africa, as it supports both economic development and industrial transformation,” Timmers adds.
South Africa’s wind energy market has already seen an uptake of the Nordex Delta4000 platform, specifically the N163/6.X turbine. Both turbines share key systems, including the electrical system, which helps to streamline operations and maintenance, reduce retraining needs, and manage technical risks.
For more information visit: Nordex Energy South Africa
