Design of a telescopic tower for wind energy production with reduced environmental impact

Abstract

A prototype of a telescopic pole for wind energy production with low environmental impact and its lifting system for a 60 to 250 kW turbine and a height of 30 m have been designed and manufactured. A telescopic tower, which is raised and lowered by automation or by remote control, allows to differentiate the presence of the generator within the landscape over time. The technology currently available for lifting and lowering wind turbines is made up of telescopic poles of heights of less than 10 meters and with tilting posts of height below 30 m. Without a state of the art to refer to, the telescopic pole and its lifting system have been designed starting from scratch and solving with innovative ideas the various criticalities that have arisen. The design of the telescopic coupling, the design for maintaining the preload and for the rotational decoupling, the optimization the design of the pairs of sleeves by numerical simulations, the design of the pegs and the bushes of the jack-up lifting system have been presented. The prototype was installed in Caltanissetta, Italy, and successfully tested.