Compared with only 24 gigawatts of wind power capacity within the European Union member states in 2001, total capacity within the EU was just shy of 170 gigawatts by the end of 2017.
On the global scale, the construction of wind turbines is threefold that of the EU. During the next ten years, wind power capacity is expected to triple from its level of two years ago.
The carbon footprint of all renewable energies - including wind energy - is significantly smaller than that of traditional, non-renewable energy production methods. Here at Peikko, we decided to do our part in reducing that footprint even more, by developing a solution that optimizes the consumption of foundation building materials.
Optimized solutions result in economies of scale
When we launched the development of wind turbine foundations 10 years ago, our goal was to combine production and planning in a way that served the client. As the size of wind turbine projects is growing steadily, it is more important than ever to start wind energy production in a new wind park as soon as possible. Our combination of production and planning means that a plant is up and running even months ahead of schedule compared with the timeframe involved if the client was required to source planning and production from two separate parties.
From the environmental viewpoint, it is even more important that planning optimization allows the client to make do with fewer building materials. This is achieved through our advanced planning software, which calculates the exact amount of reinforced concrete needed for the foundations of a wind turbine burdened by dynamic wind forces.
Since the ground at a building site is always unique and given that wind turbines come in different sizes, we have developed alternative foundation solutions. The choice of foundation depends on the ground and reduces the carbon footprint by between 25 and 75 percent compared with traditional methods.
The recent development of wind power construction both globally and in the domestic market has shown that our decision to embark on product development in this field was the correct one. We manufacture structures needed in wind turbine sites at several of our factories. We have a global expert and factory network, and our expertise here enables us to serve clients around the world on their wind power projects. We are experienced: the 2,000th wind turbine on our foundation worldwide will soon be installed.
Best results through cooperation
Our most recent foundation solutions answer the call for increasingly large units. The most recent type of turbine produces over five megawatts and the rotor hub height of the corresponding tower exceeds 150 meters. The foundations of such a tower need 750 cubic meters of concrete mixed on site with dense steel reinforcement. When we are hired from the outset, the wind energy developer reaps the maximum benefits of our involvement. Obviously, we still also serve as contractors to construction companies who need someone to build the foundations for their clients.
Together, we build wind turbines and wind power parks based on optimization, to the benefit of all parties - developers, builders and the environment.
