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//TimberTower at LIGNA 2013

22.04.2013

Visit us in hall 27, booth B53

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//HannoverMesse: EU Comissioner Oettinger visits TimberTower

15.04.2013

During the HannoverMesse (8.-12.04) several EU politicians informed themselves on the...

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//20.12. Inauguration of the first TimberTower

21.12.2012

Hanover: Federal Minister Peter Altmaier and Prime Minister David McAllister (Lower Saxony)...

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Be clever and cost-effective at the same time


Longer lifetimes through material damping, increased efficiency
through greater hub heights, lower project costs

Wind energy plants are getting larger and the towers taller to improve yields. However, plants with conventional towers constructed from steel become less and less cost effective the greater the tower height. Both onshore and offshore alternatives are needed but neither concrete towers nor steel lattice constructions nor hybrid masts of concrete and steel are really suitable.
Wood is an attractive alternative for wind power and has significant advantages. The price of timber is stable and – in comparison with steel – wood has a longer lifetime, is suitable for large tower foundations and also for hubs at a greater height above ground. Its use means more work for local labour, it is easy to recycle and the total construction costs are lower. More electrical power is converted from regenerative sources of energy and the efficiency of plants of this type is increasing, which enables higher returns on capital.

Construction in tune with nature


Conserving resources, sustainable,
avoiding CO2 emissions

More steel is used in the wind power industry in Germany than in shipbuilding. The forecast annual growth of wind power of 20 to 30% would lead to a further increase in use of steel. By using towers made from timber we can reduce the use of steel significantly.
Moreover, steel production requires large amounts of energy and releases CO2. With wood the opposite is true. Large quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere are bound. The TimberTower is a 99% natural product, it is CO2 neutral and can be recycled at the end of its effective life without any problems.

Making light-duty transport loads possible


Transport using standard trucks to almost every location
in the world, erection on site

Transporting steel towers is heavy-duty transport, limiting the diameter of the tower bases to 4.2 m because of the road bridges to be navigated. Higher cost effectiveness, however, requires larger diameters for the towers.
In contrast, timber is a cost-effective material for which transport is simpler. The TimberTower components are delivered to site on standard trucks or 40 foot containers. The heavy-duty transport, with its economic and ecological disadvantages, required for steel tubing tower segments is no longer needed.

TimberTowers for regional added value


Involvement of local and regional suppliers, tax income for municipalities,
higher degree of acceptance among the population in the region

The local economy benefits the most when the most powerful wind power generators are situated at the best locations with the greatest possible hub heights, and with an involvement of local forestry and construction businesses.
On the one hand, local sawmill and forest owners make a profit from wooden towers, and road construction and cable tray construction businesses as well as carpentry and roofing trades benefit from full order books. On the other hand, local communities benefit from higher tax income resulting from employment growth because forestry and timber companies and their suppliers employ large numbers of people who need housing and goods, and pay taxes. TimberTowers are beneficial for everyone – they create jobs, increase tax and rental income and lead to a high degree of acceptance for wind energy plants among the local communities.