According to the latest figures from Ge:Net the total height of all towers ever installed by the company would reach into the stratosphere – 23534m of towers they installed over the past 12 years, all over the world.
The figures also show how the market for met masts has changed since 2001. In the beginning customers asked mainly for tubular towers of about 60m height, but soon the demand for lattice towers increased. In contrast to tubular towers, lattice towers are climbable, which makes maintenance much easier. To check or exchange a sensor the technician can simply climb the mast instead of laying it on the ground to reach the sensor, which takes much longer. To meet the demand Ge:Net developed a climbable aluminium lattice tower, which is available since app. 2008. Tubular and aluminium lattice towers from Ge:Net are available up to 85m height and are installed horizontally using a gin pole for erection.
The technical development of modern wind turbines, especially the constantly growing hub height, increased the demand for higher met masts. For accurate wind measurement it is necessary to measure at least at 2/3 of the hub height, the higher the better. Since a few years wind turbines of 140m hub height and more are available and call for adequate measurement heights. To meet this new demand Ge:Net designed a steel lattice tower which is available up to 140m height.
But the figures from Ge:Net don’t only show the increasing demand for higher towers, they also show differences in regional demand. During the early years of Ge:Net Spain, France, Romania and others have been the main markets, whereas Germany has become the most important market during the past three years. It’s the new turbines available for light wind sites which boost the market especially in the south of Germany, and with hub heights of 140m and more they call for the respective met masts. In complex terrain and in the woods where wind resources are weak and reliable data from older wind farms are not available accurate measurement close to hub height is essential, and so the demand for high-quality Ge:Net towers grows.
If the boom in the German wind business lasts on and other promising markets like the MENA-countries, Japan, or South Korea start or commence growing, the total tower from Ge:Net will soon shoot through the stratosphere.
The figures also show how the market for met masts has changed since 2001. In the beginning customers asked mainly for tubular towers of about 60m height, but soon the demand for lattice towers increased. In contrast to tubular towers, lattice towers are climbable, which makes maintenance much easier. To check or exchange a sensor the technician can simply climb the mast instead of laying it on the ground to reach the sensor, which takes much longer. To meet the demand Ge:Net developed a climbable aluminium lattice tower, which is available since app. 2008. Tubular and aluminium lattice towers from Ge:Net are available up to 85m height and are installed horizontally using a gin pole for erection.
The technical development of modern wind turbines, especially the constantly growing hub height, increased the demand for higher met masts. For accurate wind measurement it is necessary to measure at least at 2/3 of the hub height, the higher the better. Since a few years wind turbines of 140m hub height and more are available and call for adequate measurement heights. To meet this new demand Ge:Net designed a steel lattice tower which is available up to 140m height.
But the figures from Ge:Net don’t only show the increasing demand for higher towers, they also show differences in regional demand. During the early years of Ge:Net Spain, France, Romania and others have been the main markets, whereas Germany has become the most important market during the past three years. It’s the new turbines available for light wind sites which boost the market especially in the south of Germany, and with hub heights of 140m and more they call for the respective met masts. In complex terrain and in the woods where wind resources are weak and reliable data from older wind farms are not available accurate measurement close to hub height is essential, and so the demand for high-quality Ge:Net towers grows.
If the boom in the German wind business lasts on and other promising markets like the MENA-countries, Japan, or South Korea start or commence growing, the total tower from Ge:Net will soon shoot through the stratosphere.
