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STUDENTS REPORT: VERBUND WIND FARM | SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2009 | 41
One of the six windmills in the world with
a viewing platform can be found in Bruck
an der Leitha. Each year, visitors wishing
to “chase the wind” stand at a dizzying
height of 60 metres. But the most notable
thing about wind power facilities is not the
tourism appeal but the positive effect
on our climate.
A sheet of paper on the wall announces “Just ten
steps to go”. We’ve already managed 269 steps.
A few seconds later, we arrive breathlessly at the
viewing platform and dare to take our first peek
at the glassed-in platform. We are astounded at
the giant rotor blades, some 70 metres in diameter.
Every two seconds, one of the three blades
whooshes past us like a giant windscreen wiper.
CLIMBING TOWARD THE WIND
Many times, we’ve driven past Verbund’s wind
farms and each time, we were amazed that wind
can produce energy. In October 2009, we were
given the chance to take a look at the technical
details behind it. Our trip began at the Verbund
building in downtown Vienna, where we met
our guides Philipp Wieltschnig, Verbund project
manager, and Stefan Schindler, the works manager
in charge of the Bruck an der Leitha wind farm.
On our way to Bruck, Stefan Schindler explains
that Verbund has owned and operated the facility
since January 2009. Unlike the conventional
methods of generating power, wind power has
only been used for industrial power production
for about 15 years. It is not until we are directly in
front of the wind power facility that we realise its
sheer dimensions. We are given helmets and fire
protection masks for our safety. After hearing the
safety guidelines from the Verbund staff, we begin
the steep climb of some 300 steps. It takes about
10 minutes to reach the top of the narrow spiral
stairs inside the tower.
From the viewing platform, we see the surroun-
ding fields and other windpower plants. We can
see Bruck an der Leitha in the background. As
a special “extra” during our tour, we get a look
at the gondola – the moving part at the tower’s
top, reachable only by a skinny metal ladder. The
gondola is the heart of the facility – that’s where
the electricity-producing generator and the rotor
are located. That’s why it’s nice and warm here, in
contrast to outdoors. This is also where the four
motors are located that guide the gondola, so that
the rotor blades of the power plant always face the
direction of the wind. “The gondola can move a
maximum of three times in one direction”, Philipp
Wieltschnig explains.
Stefan Schindler adds, “Depending on the wind
conditions, it’s automatically wound back two or
three times a month so that the electricity cables
aren’t damaged. It takes 40 to 50 minutes to make
a complete turn”.
FROM THE MEADOWS TO THE COMPLETE
WIND FARM
Wind farms aren’t built overnight. It takes years
of careful planning to be sure that wind energy is
optimally used. The first key question is location.
Where is there enough space and wind to manage