THE fifth World Crane & Transport Summit will discuss the technical challenges and future trends in wind turbine construction.
Participants in the wind turbine panels will be Norbert van Schaik of Siemens Wind Power, which manufactures wind turbines; Declan Corrigan of Windhoist, a lifting company that has worked on more than 4000 turbines; and Hans-Dieter Willim from crane manufacturer Liebherr-Werk Ehingen.
Norbert van Schaik, who is project specialist for transport, crane and installations at Siemens Wind Power, said the round-table will be an opportunity to discuss some key issues surrounding the transport and lifting of wind turbine components.
“The industry needs to think outside the box. The turbines are getting higher: we are now working at heights of 140 m to the centre of the rotor – which would have been unthinkable 10 years ago – and already we are looking at designs for even higher turbines. And the components are getting bigger, which has implications for ground transport, including the impact of wind loads.
“We need to forge links between the turbine manufacturers and the lifting and transport companies, to create the tools and methods to erect wind turbines efficiently and quickly.”
The Summit is being held in Amsterdam in November.
