Nowadays the world is changing faster and faster, not to mention the world of energy! Renewable energies have taken a leading role; especially wind power has revealed itself as the most competitive of all. However new needs have arisen in the market of wind power as well. This situation has posed new challenges that companies must deal.

Therefore in order to pool knowledge and bring together some alternatives and solutions the 1st International Conference Advances in Wind Turbine Towers, organized by IQPC was held in Bremen on 28-30th August gathering the largest producers of wind towers. This Conference was sponsored entirely by the companies Inneo Torres and Esteyco Energía and it met expectations broadly. The Conference aimed to compare the different materials used in the construction of wind towers; namely steel, concrete and wood, for the sake to be able to determine the pros and cons of each material behavior at greater heights in terms of competitiveness.

Firstly one must ask why the trend at the height of the towers is always growing. This is because the higher the altitude the largest the yield. When the wind exceeds a certain height find less resistance and becomes more stable. Technically this strip is known as Ekman layer. In economic terms this increase in efficiency could result in additional annual revenues of €100,000 per wind turbine, and it could even fold the output. For this reason, the hot topic which was discussed at the meeting was the goal of building towers of 200 meters height.

The challenges posed by building at higher altitudes are mainly two. Firstly the cost increases significantly due to the need to use heavy cranes, and secondly the assembly, which has to be more reliable. Different materials offer a range of possibilities to meet these new dares.

• Wood tower by TimberTower GmbH seems to have very good adaptation in assembling. Easy to use by workers, requires no skilled labor for installation and transportation of the boards is very cheap. However it requires maintenance and this increases the cost considerably
• In this aspect the steel does not need any care, but in assembling it varies somewhat depending on the structure of the tower. Lattice steel tower might seem a good bet at first sight in the issue of height (makes sense that the higher the altitude lighter the structure), however it presents serious difficulties in assembling several pieces. Shell steel tower by Siemens presents easily transportable structure elements although again the cost of the assembly process is excessive.
• Hybrid towers made of steel and concrete by ATS show themselves as a halfway solution that combines the advantages of both materials. However this option makes the company more dependent on their main material suppliers.
• Finally precast concrete tower by Inneo Torres seems to be an ideal solution. Despite being a heavy material it is easy to assembly. Besides Inneo Torres  presents a mature technology that achieves at assembly a performance comparable to that presented in steel towers. The key lies in its patented process of preassembly which allows them to compete and meet the expectations of the wind market.

There are many possibilities opened in the field of wind such as towers of 200meters height or offshore. The trend so far is good and we must continue to make innovative efforts in this field. Therefore, fortunately we will have the opportunity to continue enjoying these amazing market expectations for upcoming events to be held soon.