The installation of a 365m GICON high-altitude wind tower in Schipkau, Brandenburg, has highlighted the role of crane technology from German company ematec.
The company’s RBC-D rotor blade yoke was employed to install the three rotor blades, a process completed in about 12 hours.
When connected to the grid in November 2026, the GICON project will become the world’s tallest wind turbine.
The tower uses a non-traditional design, combining steel and lattice framework elements in a telescopic structure.
According to GICON, the blades were first installed at around 150m before the inner tower was extended telescopically to reach the final hub height of 300m.
Installation was undertaken by teams from wind turbine manufacturer Vensys, installation specialist EZ Wind, and two RBC-D operators from DH Renewables.
In describing the process, EZ Wind managing director Hans-Iver Jacobs said: “We were able to start at midday and had finished by midnight.”
Vensys site manager Björn Schäfer emphasised the equipment’s importance: “Being able to lift and position the blades at different angles was absolutely crucial to the successful installation. No other lifting equipment in the world could have achieved this.”
Schäfer noted that space constraints due to the structure’s size required extra caution to avoid contact between the tower, yoke, and rotor blades, saying, “It was a challenge that our team mastered brilliantly.”
The RBC-D system, developed by ematec, enables safe and efficient installation by allowing the yoke to tilt the blades by up to ±30 degrees and to pitch them by up to ±8 degrees.
The system features an adaptive blade gripping mechanism able to handle blades weighing up to 50t.
ematec CTO Julian Eberhard said: “The fact that Vensys chose our yoke for this world record is an enormous honour for us.”
GICON implemented the project for Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation (SPRIND) using a Vensys V126 wind turbine, rated at 3.8MW. Each blade is 61.6m long and weighs 15t.
GICON Management Board chairman and founder Jochen Großmann said future plans call for even larger turbines, and the company estimates each high-altitude wind tower could generate 30GWh–33GWh annually.
