Renewable energy · Small wind
Small wind
Small wind turbine masts and rural telecoms. No concrete slab, ground anchors calculated for the wind.
In small wind, everything depends on resisting the overturning moment. The long T-Block® series (T7-T15) are sized to anchor the horizontal loads typical of small wind turbines, calculated to the Italian NTC 2018 code.
Small wind use cases
The typical configurations for which T-Block supplies sized ground anchors.
Small wind turbines for self-consumption
Small turbines for business or household self-consumption, designed per project. The T-Block T7-T10 series anchor the horizontal loads typical of this segment.
Mini wind, designed per project
Larger turbines for small distributed wind parks, large farm applications, industrial self-consumption. Taller towers, higher moments: longer T-Block classes (T10-T15) or multi-anchor configurations.
Antennas and repeaters in rural areas
Radio antennas, repeaters, microwave links: exposed locations, often reachable only by compact machines. The screw can be installed where a concrete mixer or a heavy vehicle could not get to.
Pilot plants and wind measurement masts
Wind measurement towers, small wind prototypes, research demonstrators. T-Block removability is valuable when the site may change use or when the prototype has to be moved during testing.
Two sites, the same principle
A small wind turbine transfers mainly an overturning moment to the ground: the foundation works in tension on one side and in compression on the other. The site and the machine change, the way it is anchored does not.
Torbole, Lake Garda
A windy site, a stone's throw from the water
Northern Lake Garda is a very windy area, and also a busy lakefront: a tight space, gravelly ground, a site in full view. The ground anchors are installed on the spot and the surface can be walked on again straight away.
England
Vertical-axis turbine, installed on grass
The same approach for a vertical-axis wind turbine installed in the United Kingdom: the structure is bolted directly onto the flanges, and the lawn around it stays a lawn.
The Torbole site in one minute
Screw foundations for the WindCity turbine on Lake Garda: installing the screws and mounting the structure, with no excavation.
Why small wind chooses ground screws
Four advantages over a conventional concrete footing.
Sized for the overturning moment
The main constraint in small wind is not the vertical load but the horizontal moment of the wind on the mast. The long, profiled T-Block series (T7-T15) are designed to anchor significant bending loads, calculated to the Italian NTC 2018 code.
No concrete slab
Conventional small wind needs a sizeable reinforced concrete footing. T-Block removes this stage entirely: the ground anchors are screwed in, and the mast and rotor are mounted straight after. Much shorter site times and lower site costs.
Removable at end of life or for relocation
Unlike a concrete footing, the screws can be unscrewed. Useful for pilot plants, relocation after wind measurement studies, or when a concession on farmland or leased land comes to an end.
Suited to exposed and remote locations
Small wind sites are often on hills, coasts or farmland: mixed soils, not always reachable by heavy vehicles. Screwing in needs compact equipment, with no water and no concrete batching.
Recommended T-Block classes for small wind
An overview of the families by system size. Detailed sizing depends on the overturning moment and on the bearing capacity of the soil.
For rural telecom installations and very small wind turbines. Ø60 mm structural tube with a round flange and square connection. Lengths up to 1.5 m.
The reference size for small self-consumption turbines, designed per project. 2 m long, with geometries optimised to take the overturning moment. Also available in AISI 304 stainless steel.
The largest T-Block class: lengths up to 3 m, reinforced section. For mini wind designed per project, wind measurement towers and tall antennas in exposed areas.
Lengths are nominal, with a tolerance of ±1 cm.
Ground screws or a concrete footing
For a small wind turbine the real alternative is concrete: a driven post does not resist the overturning moment. A qualitative comparison; design values come from the calculation on the site's soil.
| Criterion | T-Block ground screws | Concrete footing or slab |
|---|---|---|
| Resistance to the overturning moment | Ground anchors in tension and compression, sized on the real soil | Relies on the mass of the block |
| How capacity is increased | Add ground anchors on the same base plate, or go deeper | Enlarge the block: more digging, more concrete, more spoil |
| Exposed, hard-to-reach sites | Compact equipment, no water, no concrete mixer | Needs a truck mixer or an on-site plant |
| Noise and disturbance during installation | Almost none: it is screwed in | Moderate: mixer, vibrator, vehicle movements |
| Time per anchor | Minutes, and assembly follows straight away | Pour plus up to 28 days of curing |
| Pilot plants and relocation | Unscrewed and repositioned elsewhere | Demolition and disposal |
| What stays in the ground at end of life | Nothing: the ground goes back to how it was | A buried block to remove |
Working on a small wind project?
Send us the turbine size, mast height, soil and installation area: we reply with the right-sized T-Block class and a clear quote.