German Tall Tower Repowering a Sign of Things to Come?

A small German wind project (built in 1999) has been repowered with Vestas V112 machines — on 140 meter and 119 meter towers.

My thinking for some time has been that the German market is a good indication of where the US may or will be heading. It seems we’ve followed the Germans in increasing both wind and solar production, and with some limited repowering. If we continue to follow the German path, then maybe we can also expect taller towers.

Taller towers have interesting implications for landowners with turbines on their property. Firstly, bigger turbines, with bigger rotor diameters and on taller towers will certainly mean greater per-unit production. If the number of MW on a landowner’s property stays the same, and if the landowner is paid under a royalty structure, then this will mean greater revenue. However, taller towers (and bigger rotors) also likely mean greater spacing (which I think is already happening in the US), and for small landowners that host one or a few machines, this could mean the elimination of all turbine-generated revenue. As a project ages and as the value of repowering is considered, the associated increase or elimination of revenue is certainly something to consider.

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