en.Wedoany.com Reported - Nabrawind, a wind turbine manufacturer acquired by Fortescue, has successfully installed a full-scale Goldwind GW165/6000 turbine at the InnoVent Diaz wind farm in Namibia using its crane-free system. The turbine has a rated capacity of 6 megawatts (MW), and the installation process did not involve a traditional main crane, marking a significant advancement in building large-scale renewable energy facilities under harsh desert conditions.
For a long time, constructing large wind farms required powerful mobile cranes, which are difficult to transport in remote areas and cannot operate safely in high winds. Nabrawind's new installation method overcomes these challenges, making it possible to build wind farms in traditionally hard-to-reach locations.
The team utilized Nabrawind's new full jacking system (SES) and Skylift turbine technology. This configuration allows workers to safely lift structures in wind speeds of up to 33.5 miles per hour and gusts of up to 44.7 miles per hour, whereas conventional heavy cranes stop working when wind speeds exceed 13.4 to 17.8 miles per hour during critical assembly steps. Compared to earlier versions, the system's mechanical performance is significantly enhanced: once the main rotor is set at a height of 98 to 131 feet (far below the previous requirement of 295 to 328 feet), it can lift any type of tower and handle thin-walled tower sections without compromising their strength. By upgrading the original jacking system, the new technology is compatible with all standard wind tower designs.
To install the Goldwind GW165/6000 direct-drive turbine, Nabrawind engineers created a new process to handle the heavy generator components. After lifting the first tower section and nacelle, they mounted two blades on the ground at a 30-degree angle. This setup required a special handling system and custom counterweights to maintain stability as the rotor was lifted to its final height. Once the rotor was in place, the team used the BladeRunner system to replace the counterweight with a third blade. This was the first time this method was used with two blades at a 30-degree angle, making it the most challenging part of the entire Namibia project.
Upon completion, the InnoVent Diaz wind farm will feature seven Goldwind GW165/6000 turbines, all installed using the crane-free method. The area boasts some of the strongest winds globally, making it an ideal location for Nabrawind to demonstrate the reliability and repeatability of its process. Engineers are tracking the time required for each installation, and the company states that its primary goal is "to reduce the installation time to a net cycle of one week when installing the seventh turbine—without needing to haul a large crane to the site."
In addition to the seven main Goldwind turbines, the completed site also includes four XMEC-Darwind XE93-2000 turbines based on the Nabrabase foundation, for which Nabrawind completed the foundation work during an earlier construction phase. Once the entire network is connected to the grid, the facility will generate 230 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity annually, meeting approximately 6% of Namibia's electricity demand and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 200,000 tons per year.
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