ABSTRACT
Wind energy is already significant for the renewable energies and will become even more important in future. The development of modern wind turbines provides new challenges for tower structures. Typical tower heights are between 100 m and 160 m. The towers are usually made of steel. However, hybrid towers are also common for high towers. Compared to other structures wind turbines are exposed to high cycle fatigue loads and the fatigue behavior controls decisively the design. First, the paper gives a brief overview on the current situation of the wind energy market and the challenges for modern wind turbines. Then, tower concepts and typical design guidelines of wind turbines are presented with the focus on recent developments. The paper focuses on the challenges and future trends regarding the tower design; particularly on the influence of the fatigue behavior.
