Wind turbines for green enery made out of steel

To build one wind turbine (inland), around 225 to 285 tonnes of steel is required. A number of different types of steel, delivered by for instance ArcelorMittal Gent, are used for the construction of these turbines.

Europe aims to extract around 20% of its energy demand out of renewable energy sources by 2020. Wind turbines play a major part in this story as they transform movement into electrical energy, which can then be distributed onto a local energy network.

A wind turbine mainly consists out of:

• A platform
• A mast
• Rotor blades
• A gondola with a generator
• A connection to the electrical circuit via a transformer

In all wind turbines, we use electrical steel both in the generator as well in the transformer. We at ArcelorMittal Gent work closely together with all major turbine producers on the development of new innovations for the generators. We help the manufacturers in picking that specific type of steel that best suits the requirements for the new generators.

The mast consists of different materials. An advantage of steel masts is that they are easy to produce and to transport once finished. Once the foundations of the civil technical services are complete, the steel mast can be erected in one or two days. This whereas building a concrete mast would take about a month.

The masts for wind turbines at sea or inland, are in fact almost identical. The main difference however is that the turbines at sea need a base which anchors the mast to the bottom of the sea.