Application | WInd Farm

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FLYING HIGH Wind turbines combined with pumped-storage technology: With the new “water battery”, the German-based construction company Max Bögl is setting new standards for the energy revolution. LAPP is providing the cabling for the mega-structures in Gaildorf near Stuttgart, Germany. / //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

power or electricity in the grid, this electrical energy is used to pump water up and into these two reservoirs. When electricity in the grid is scarce, the water drops 650 feet down into the valley and powers two Voith turbines. The principle of the pumped-storage power plant is almost 100 years old. What’s new here is that a plant for generating renewable energy and a pumped-storage system are at the same location; in fact they are housed in the same construction. The base of the turbine - the active reservoir - can hold over 1.8 million gallons of water, while also providing a welcome 131 feet of extra height. The larger outer reservoir, known as the passive reservoir, holds 11.3 million gallons. The concrete structure is a masterpiece, using materials and construction techniques that have never been used before in this combination anywhere in the world. “We are keeping the construction secret,” says Site manager Markus Meyer. The “water batteries” are connected by a 7-foot thick pipe that runs into the valley under the bed of the River Kocher and into a specially created lower reservoir. Upon taking up full operation in late 2017, the system was filled with 42.3 million gallons of water from the river. GE SUPPLIES WIND ENERGY PLANTS FOR THE GAILDORF PROJECT The combination of wind energy and pumped- storage technology in this project is complex and extremely challenging. GE Renewable Energy supplied the four wind energy plants, each with a rating of 3.4 megawatts. The company has stringent requirements in

It is a sight to see: A gigantic tower with a crane that appears to be floating completely free over 300 feet up and almost disappearing into the clouds over the Limpurg hills. If you could imagine the perfect location for a wind turbine, it would probably look a lot like this. Soon after our visit, the giant tower was crowned with a nacelle and three rotor blades. They convert the power of the wind into 3.4 megawatts of electrical power. The turbine is designed to harvest more than 10 gigawatt hours of energy per year, enough to supply around 2500 four-person households. The three other wind turbines, which stand like sentinels on the hill a few hundred feet apart and are only a few metres lower, have an identical design and deliver the same power and energy. RECORD SETTING The plant in Gaildorf near Schwäbisch Hall is an ambitious contribution to the energy revolution. It has immediately set several records: The highest of the four turbines is currently the highest in the world, with its hub at 584 feet and the tip of the rotor reaching to a height of 808 feet, thanks to the hybrid concrete (lower section) and steel (upper section) tower. Every foot counts, as it increases the energy yield. The towers were erected with the world’s highest mobile crane - a planning and logistical master-stroke by the main contractor, Max Bögl Wind AG from Neumarkt in Bavaria. The company constructed the plant and also operates it - something completely new in the wind power sector. Even a layman can see that there is something different about the huge towers. The lower section has a significantly greater diameter than the upper section of the tower and stands in a huge circular reservoir. When there is excess wind

The world’s highest wind power plants are located in Gaildorf near Stuttgart - and the cables come from LAPP.

www.lappusa.com www.lappcanada.com

LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539

coal, gas and nuclear power plants. “With the water battery and hybrid towers, we are making wind power even more attractive and efficient as an energy source, setting new records at the same time”, says Josef Knitl, CEO of Max Bögl Wind AG. The natural energy storage in Gaildorf is the cutting edge of the concept. The three turbines in the valley generate 16 megawatts and the capacity of the storage is 70 megawatt hours. This enables them to compensate for up to 5 hours of calm, but also to cover shorter discrepancies between generation and demand in the grid. Switching from feeding into the grid to storage or vice versa takes just 30 seconds. This increases flexibility and opens up additional sources of income, as the plant can offer well paid grid services to compensate for instability and changes in the grid frequency or to provide idle power. FURTHER PROJECTS ANTICIPATED Max Bögl will be marketing the concept worldwide in the future and LAPP is also in the running for other Max Bögl projects all over the world. For LAPP, this is a welcome challenge. The company can produce the required cables at plants in Germany and throughout Europe; the LAPP Center of Competence in Singapore and production sites in China, India, and Korea are also major supply points. Andreas Müller says: “We also have ample know-how in Asia to supply major orders for wind power plants with premium quality.”

LAPP is the supplier for the cables in the tower. The exact specifications, such as dimensions, temperature, torsion, and weater resistance were stipulated by GE.

terms of the electrical equipment, including the cables in the nacelle and the tower. LAPP has already supplied cables for the nacelles in other GE plants and is listed as an approved supplier. Therefore, the company was approached by Max Bögl Wind to supply the cables for the tower in Gaildorf. “We receive a specification from GE, which lists the exact specifications for each cable, including dimensions, temperature, torsion and weather resistance, and much more”, says Andreas Müller, the main responsible for the wind power sector at LAPP. LAPP completed the order on time. In a container at the construction site, the last medium voltage cables are waiting on large wooden drums to be hoisted up into the tower, where industrial climbers on cables suspended inside the cable will pull up the cables and secure them in a wire frame. In a second adjacent container, some of the total of 100 drums are waiting empty for return transportation. The demand for storage solutions for decentralized energy generation using renewable energies is high. “We are proud to meet Max Bögl’s standards”, says Michael Bodemer, head of sales for projects in Germany at LAPP. “These are technically demanding cables, combined with a very high service level in terms of cutting, marking, labelling and special cable drums. Only companies that can offer a worry-free all round package will make it onto the shortlist.” STORAGE FOR THE ENERGY REVOLUTION Generation and storage at the same location is a big trend: Half of the photovoltaic units in Germany are now sold with a storage battery. Solar energy from the roof and storage in the cellar gives consumers independence from rising prices and contributes to stabilization of the grid. Generation and storage in a single location could now become the norm in the wind power sector too, as there is an urgent need for storage when an increasing amount of fluctuating wind power is being fed into the grid to replace the more constant and predictable production from

In a container at the construction site, the last medium voltage cables are waiting to be hoisted up into the tower, where industrial climbers suspended on cables inside the tower will secure them in a wire frame.

www.lappusa.com www.lappcanada.com

LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539

GAILDORF ENERGY STORAGE: FACTS & FIGURES

Wind energy power

4 x 3.4 MW

Rotor diameter

450 ft

Annual energy generated from wind

42 GWh

Pumped-storage power plant power

16 MW

Electrical storage capacity

70 MWh

Drop height

656 ft

Active reservoir water level

102 ft

Passive reservoir water level

43 ft

Construction costs

€ 80 million (€ 7.15 million grant from the German Environment Ministry)

Andreas Müller takes photos of the huge power plant.

www.lappusa.com www.lappcanada.com

LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539