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«To work with CTE Wind as designer was nice. The speed of response and reliability of the planning has been a winning experience for us.»

Arjan Louwerse from H4a Windenergie B.V.

Coöperatie Zuidenwind has poured the concrete for the foundation in Heibloem in the Netherlands and created the basis for the installation of their wind turbines. The foundation design and calculation for this project was done by CTE Wind Civil Engineering. The expert in foundation design WTG suggested their Soft-Spot® instead of a typical pile foundation.

Heibloem (NL) / La Richardais (FR) – The Netherlands soil consistsof unconsolidated, very young sediments. Due to the proximity of the low-lying part of the European continent, the basin of the North Sea, the bottom rarely rises higher than 30 m above sea level. In the areas along the coast (provinces of Groningen, Friesland, Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland, Zeeland) the surface soil layers consist mainly of clay deposits. In the west of the Netherlands the clays are replaced by lowland moors (peat). To sum up: in the Netherlands, pile foundations are mandatory for wind turbines because of the concentrated forces occurring on little surface area. Except in Heibloem, where the ground is exceptionally stable. So good, in fact, that CTE Wind offered its resource-saving Soft-Spot® instead of the usual foundation.

Soft-Spot® in the Netherlands

The Soft-Spot® was developed by CTE Wind’s engineering team and is implemented in various countries around the world. «It was simply the most economical foundation we could choose », Arjan Louwerse from H4a Windenergie B.V. says. He is the project manager for Coöperatie Zuidenwind wind turbines. This foundation design optimizes the use of resources and helps to save up to 15 % of concrete and 2 to 5 % of reinforcement steel. In some cases what is even more important than the costs is the available space : with Soft-Spot® you need less surface for the foundation. This reduces the time and excavation costs. «The philosophy to reduce the costs of the Soft-Spot® was also a good point of discussion with our client. From the beginning we had a good feeling with the design», he explains.

In fact thanks to the new design the outer diameter of the foundation was 1.1m smaller compared to a typical foundation design. This resulted in a reduction of 11 % of concrete and 3 % of steel – or more precisely about 100m3 of reinforced concrete. «To work with CTE Wind as designer was nice. The speed of response and reliability of the planning has been a winning experience for us», Louwerse added. In spring 2020 the wind turbine will arrive together with the largest blades ever installed onshore in the Netherlands. (ctewind)

CTE Wind Achieves AFNOR RSEProgression Certification for Corporate Social Responsibility.

The CSR team at CTE Wind is delighted to announce the attainment of the AFNOR RSEProgression certification, a testament to our unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility. With pride, we diligently work every day to minimize our environmental impact and actively support local communities. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated employees, whose unwavering commitment and dedication have been instrumental in achieving this milestone. As we forge ahead, we remain determined to further our progress in CSR, serving as an exemplary model for other companies in the sector.

At CTE Wind, CSR is an integral part of our business philosophy. We are driven by the belief that responsible environmental stewardship and community support go hand in hand with our success in the renewable energy industry. Through our sustainable practices and community engagement, we are dedicated to shaping a cleaner, more sustainable future for generations to come.

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About CTE Wind

About CTE Wind – Experts in Foundation Design World Wide:We serve since 2003 the wind industry as civil / structural engineers for wind park owner, developers and EPC/BoP-contractors, often also directly for the OEMs. 27500 wind turbines in 75 countries. We provide geotechnical services, preliminary and final designs for wind turbine foundations, repowering and life time extension services.

CTE Wind R&D and Consulting services are the first choice when it comes to foundation design regardless of the WTG-manufacturer, model, size, power or soil conditions. Thanks to internal R&D-Team with senior engineers, holding over 100 years of cumulated experience in the design of wind turbine foundations, nothing is impossible.

La Richardais (FRA) – In 2019 Developers worldwide have globally commissioned a little over 45GW of onshore wind turbines. According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the Danish firm Vestas remained this way the world’s leading wind turbine supplier, with Spanish-German wind engineering company Siemens Gamesa a strong second. Chinas manufacturer number one Goldwind was third in the rankings, while US-Leader GE Renewable Energy’s secured its fourth place. Together the top four manufacturers accounted for 55 percent of the market share.

100 years of cumulated experience

This statement applies more or less also to CTE Wind, which calculated, designed and evaluated about 5000 WTG-foundations in 2019 around the globe. Thanks to CTE Wind’s internal R&D, with senior engineers holding over 100 years of cumulated experience in the design of wind turbine foundations worldwide, new turbine models from the top manufacturers as well as less common WTG-models from smaller or local manufacturers are only a little challenge. CTE Wind engineering services lead to state-of-the-art foundation solutions for wind turbines. Regardless of whether it is a prototype, such as GE’s giant 12 MW Haliade X or smaller 1 MW machine, from German ENO or Dutch EWT.

Wooden tower

Also worth mentioning: the different types of towers for wind turbines. Concrete (hollow foundation) and steel towers are well known to CTE Wind. Both tower systems are suitable to be used alone or in combination. Even foundations with wooden towers were calculated and designed by CTE Wind in the past. The sum of all experiences made during the projects since 2003 is the reason why their engineering services in foundation design are the first choice for wind turbine manufacturers, wind park developers and EPC contractors worldwide.

CTE Wind designed the deep foundation and anchor cage for a NRG Patagonia wind turbine in Argentina. The 1.5 MW will help Castelli, a town with 10,000 residents, to grow their sustainable energy production.

Buenos Aires (ARG) – Although Argentina’s wind energy has been on hold for a while, there still is a demand for wind industry specialists such as CTE Wind to extend expertise on wind projects. Our sister company, CTE Wind Ibérica, received an interesting request from the Cooperativa de Electricidad Castelli (CUECCA) for a wind energy project located 185 km from the city of Buenos Aires. The cooperative’s main goal is to grow sustainable energy production in Castelli, a smaller town with about 10,000 residents. In striving to meet its goals, CUECCA moved forward to install a 1.5 MW wind turbine from the local WTG manufacturer NRG Patagonia (NRGP).

CTE Wind has been selected by NRGP for the foundation design. Due to the unique soil conditions, a deep foundation with piles was designed. CTE Wind also contributed the optimized design of the anchor cage, providing substantial savings in steel reinforcement. Enrique MARTINEZ, Commercial Manager of CTE Wind Ibérica said: « We are thrilled to work on this project. Even if it is a small project, we want to find the best possible solution for the customer. »

Design and construction in due time

Recently, an important project milestone has been reached: breaking ground and the beginning of the foundation construction. « Every step has been done in due time. This is also one of the reasons why customers keep coming back to CTE Wind», added MARTINEZ.

The 82m rotor for CUECCA´s NRGP 82 was unloaded not long ago in the Port of Zarate, Argentina. The rotor was manufactured in the US. The 82 is the tallest model so far from NRGP with a hub height of 80 meters and a rotor diameter of 82 meters. Soon 4,000 households of Castelli will enjoy green energy from their own wind turbine.

If you want to learn more about CTE Wind International and CTE Winds SOLUTIONS please visite OUR-PROJECTS & OUR-NEWS – sections. For more Information about OUR-SERVICES please CONTACT US.

CTE Wind, global leader in civil engineering for wind turbine foundaiton design, celebrates remarkable growth and presence in 75 countries.

CTE Wind has experienced remarkable growth since its establishment in 2003. Over the past decade, the company’s expansion has been particularly noteworthy. In 2012, CTE Wind successfully implemented projects in 23 countries, including Canada, South Africa, and Greece. France accounted for the majority share of these projects. Presently, CTE Wind has extended its reach to an impressive 75 countries worldwide.

One of CTE Wind’s significant achievements in 2012 was the design and development of the Tarfaya wind farm in Morocco, which was then the largest wind farm in the country. Spanning across 10,000 hectares of land, the Tarfaya wind farm boasts a total capacity of 301 MW and encompasses 131 turbines. This remarkable project played a pivotal role in helping Morocco reduce its reliance on fossil fuels and achieve its renewable energy goals.

The wind energy landscape has undergone substantial transformations in recent years. Not only are wind farms becoming larger in scale, with installations exceeding 150 wind turbines becoming the norm in certain countries, but the wind turbines themselves are also becoming more powerful. In 2012, the average wind turbine had a power rating between 1 and 2 MW. However, today it is more common to see turbines with a capacity of 4 to 6+ MW. Furthermore, there is ongoing development in the industry, with Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) working on onshore wind turbines that match the power output of offshore generators. It is anticipated that in the near future, we may witness the emergence of turbines with an astounding output of 8 to 10 MW. This progress raises important questions regarding the design and construction of wind turbine foundations. As CTE Wind continues to innovate and expand its presence in the global wind energy market, it remains at the forefront of these advancements, consistently adapting its expertise to meet the evolving needs and challenges of the industry.

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About CTE Wind

About CTE Wind – Experts in Foundation Design World Wide:We serve since 2003 the wind industry as civil / structural engineers for wind park owner, developers and EPC/BoP-contractors, often also directly for the OEMs. 27500 wind turbines in 75 countries. We provide geotechnical services, preliminary and final designs for wind turbine foundations, repowering and life time extension services.