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German wind project developer Jüwi has signed a master supply contract with Kenersys Europe, owned by India's Kalyani Group, for delivery of up to 35 Kenersys 2.5 MW turbines over the next three years. Starting this year, the machines will be assembled at the small eastern German port of Wismar on the Baltic Sea coast. They will be installed in Germany and other European countries.

The deal makes the developer the first German customer for the Kalyani Group's wind power subsidiary, which was established after Kalyani bought small German turbine design and consulting company RSB Consult in September 2007 (“uåX˜äŠÊ˜·³Ç, May 2008). Co-operation with Jüwi smoothes the way into the important German market, says Kenersys Europe. "Kenersys will deliver a high quality turbine at a sensible price," says Jüwi's Christian Hinsch. He assures that the first turbines will be thoroughly tested. To date, Jüwi's main turbine suppliers have been Germany's Enercon and Denmark's Vestas and they will remain so for now, says Hinsch.

The Kenersys machines will be installed either on standard 100 metre tubular steel towers or on 130 metre hybrid concrete and steel towers built by Advanced Tower Systems (ATS), a joint venture between Jüwi Holding and Dutch firms Mecal, an engineering company, and Hurks Group, a construction company. The hybrid towers consist of a 75 metre high lower section, vertically divided into slim segments made of pre-cast concrete. The upper section comprises conventional steel parts. The main advantages of the hybrid, says ATS, are higher hub heights, transport flexibility, short installation time and little maintenance. The extra height above 100 metres can add 20% to a wind turbine's energy production, says ATS. "Many projects at inland low wind sites become economically viable by using this tower concept," claims the company.

From ATS, Johannes Bietz says the company has orders for five hybrid towers to be delivered in 2009 and 30 for 2010. The first tower is being installed at the German wind turbine test station at Grevenbroich in North Rhine Westfalia. Hurks is supplying the pre-cast concrete sections and Siemens Wind Energy is providing the steel section as well as the 2.3 MW turbine it will support.