Spanish company Nabrawind has successfully completed the installation of the first wind turbine using its revolutionary Skylift crane-less system at the InnoVent Diaz wind farm in Namibia — one of the world’s windiest locations — in a breakthrough that could transform the economics of wind energy construction in remote and challenging environments across Africa and beyond.
The Skylift system integrates two technologies developed by Nabrawind: the Self-Erecting System (Total SES), adapted to conventional tubular towers, and BladeRunner. Together, these technologies eliminate the need for large-tonnage cranes — the main logistical obstacle in wind farms where crane access is difficult and wind conditions are extreme. The system can operate reliably in winds of up to 15 metres per second with gusts of 20 m/s, compared with conventional cranes that can only function in winds of up to 6–8 m/s during critical installation phases.
The successful installation involved a Goldwind GW165/6000 direct-drive wind turbine — a particularly complex configuration requiring Nabrawind’s engineers to devise a pioneering new approach. Two blades were installed at a 30-degree angle to the ground using a proprietary handling system and counterweight, with a third blade added via the BladeRunner system — the first time this solution has been executed in this configuration and the highest level of difficulty tackled by the project to date.
The InnoVent Diaz wind farm will feature seven Goldwind GW165/6000 turbines alongside four XMEC-Darwind XE93-2000 turbines already installed by Nabrawind. Once fully operational, the facility will generate 230 gigawatt-hours of clean energy — equivalent to six per cent of Namibia’s total electricity demand — and prevent the emission of 200,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
Source: energy-pedia.com