The WiValdi research wind farm – mainly consisting of two Enercon turbines, a measuring mast and a measuring mast array – had its opening ceremony on the 15th of August 2023. The construction and large parts of the scientific instrumentation of the wind farm was managed by the DLR. The Institute of Steel Construction (IfS) and other ForWind institutes from Hannover, Oldenburg and Bremen participated in the scientific instrumentation of this unique research infrastructure in the scope of the DFWind project. In total, the IfS contributed with 92 sensors distributed over 10 measurement levels.
In response the opening ceremony the project received great media coverage highlighting the relevance of this research wind farm for science and industry (the links can be found below). We are therefore pleased that the Institute for Steel Construction was able to contribute to the development of WiValdi within the DFWind projects. The projects necessary for the establishment of the research wind farm were supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the state of Lower Saxony.
- „Hallo Niedersachsen“
- „Tagesschau“ (at 10:40 [min:sek])
- Heute Journal (at 19:55 [min:sek])
- DLF-Interview with Jan Tessmer (DLR - Coordinator for Wind Energy Research)
The Institute for Steel Construction aims to use the WiValdi Infrastructure for future research projects, in which measurement-based damage analysis of structural components (such as the ring flange connection) in wind turbine support structures will be investigated. These projects are driven by the idea to extend the lifetime of wind turbine structures far beyond their intended design service life. With this research effort, the IfS wants to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions generated during the production of new wind energy support structures.
