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Second Wind News Archives
New 50-Meter Tilt-Up WindMast™ for Wind Energy Resource Assessment
 March
21, 2003 — Second Wind has announced the availability
of a new meterological tower for wind resource assessment studies.
The 50-meter (165-foot) tall WindMast™ tower has several structural
improvements over other standard tilt–up towers on the market,
including the quality and fit of the steel tubes. These changes make
lifting the tower a safer and easier process, and also make the tower
structure more resistant to icing loads.
The wind industry is demanding better resource assessment data, and better data means taller meteorological towers for wind measurements close to the hub height of the wind turbine. But because not every site is viable for a wind project, these towers must also be inexpensive and reusable at different locations. The 50-meter tilt-up WindMast, though not as tall as permanent tower structures, meets the needs of the industry because of its mobility and low cost. The tower is close enough to the hub height of the largest 1.5MW turbines to allow the project planner to collect quality data. The tower can be lifted, lowered, and transported from site to site by a crew of three. And at $4,800 USD, the tower is very affordable compared to the $15,000 – $25,000 budget for a permanent tower installation.
"This new design will fulfill a need in the industry for a safer, better, inexpensive tower. We have worked closely with our engineering team to make sure that every detail of this tower is improved, and we are excited to be able to offer a new solution to our customers in North America and worldwide," said Ken Cohn, Operations Manager at Second Wind Inc. The manufacturer of the tower, Western Windpower, is located in the United Kingdom and has installed over 1000 tilt–up towers in Europe. "Our customers have been very satisfied with our complete line of tilt–up towers. We are pleased to have partnered with Second Wind to be our exclusive distributor in North America," said Geoff Watson, Chief Engineer at Western Windpower. The new WindMast has been available in Europe since the fourth quarter of 2002.
The 50–meter tower is 6 inches in diameter and has nineteen tube sections. The tubes have a snug fit so that the tower remains straight during the lift. The mast is made from structural quality, hot–dipped galvanized steel for improved corrosion resistance. The six guy plates are stainless steel, also for corrosion resistance. The tower is erected with a 13–meter (43–foot) gin pole. A 3–meter (10–foot) mini–gin pole makes lifting and lowering the gin pole safer and easier. The tower also has a reinforced base pin for greater resistance to icing loads. Second Wind Inc. offers a hand–operated cable puller for safe and steady lifting of the tower.
About Second Wind Inc.
Founded in 1980, Second Wind Inc. advances the use of wind data to make wind energy more profitable for owners, painless for operators and practical for consumers. Key products include: Nomad® data logger and tower systems; Triton® sodar systems; SkyServe® satellite wind data service and Phaser® power transducers. Second Wind is headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, USA, and is privately held. For more information on the Triton sonic wind profiler or SkyServe satellite wind data service and Second Wind's other products, visit www.secondwind.com.
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