A new ‘spiral welding’ approach to wind tower manufacturing could increase production rates ten-fold, according to Keystone Tower Systems, which has recently been tapped by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to demonstrate the technology in-situ. The technology has been developed and patented by Massachusetts-based Keystone since 2015, following its installation of the world’s first tapered spiral welded tower. Now, the company is hoping to deploy a single machine at the site of construction to complete the joining, rolling, fitting, welding and cutting of tapered tower shells – “all processes needed for fabrication of wind towers” – alleviating the need to transport prefabricated tower units. By 2023, the company plans to provide wind farms nationwide with cost-effective tower manufacturing options…