German test centre plan

A Europe-wide centre to be used to test innovative supporting structures of offshore wind turbines will be built with investments of €25million at Germany's Leibniz University in Hanover-Marienwerder. The new centre, a hall with a height of 20m and with a 14m long and 10m deep cavity filled with sand and water, is to be set up from the late 2012 to the end of 2013.

March 26, 2012 Read time: 1 min

A Europe-wide centre to be used to test innovative supporting structures of offshore wind turbines will be built with investments of €25million at Germany's 4371 Leibniz University in Hanover-Marienwerder.

The new centre, a hall with a height of 20m and with a 14m long and 10m deep cavity filled with sand and water, is to be set up from the late 2012 to the end of 2013.

The centre will enable researchers to test offshore steel and concrete components with a height of up to 10m by using hydraulic presses that exert a pressure of up to 1,000tonnes on components.

Offshore wind turbines' central carrying structures are to be made safer. Such structures' lifetimes are to be extended, and production costs are to be reduced.

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