Reinforcement system for wind turbine tower

A reinforcement system for a tower of a wind turbine, the reinforcement system comprising:

• at least one generally cylindrical tower section, the at least one tower section having an exterior wall and an interior wall defining a height and a thickness therebetween;
• and,
• at least one generally arcuate reinforcing member extending through at least a portion of the height of the at least one tower section and mounted to the interior wall of the at least one tower section, the at least one reinforcing member having an exterior wall and an interior wall defining a height, a width, and a thickness therebetween, the exterior wall of the at least one reinforcing member having a contour that generally corresponds to the contour of the interior wall of the at least one tower section, the at least one reinforcing member further comprising a rib extending from the interior wall of the at least one reinforcing member,
• wherein the at least one reinforcing member interacts with the at least one tower section to reinforce the at least one tower section.

A method for reinforcing a tower of a wind turbine, the method comprising:

• providing a tower, the tower comprising at least one generally cylindrical tower section, the at least one tower section having an exterior wall and an interior wall defining a height and a thickness therebetween;
• performing a structural analysis of the tower to identify potential load limiting locations;
• and,
• after performing the structural analysis, mounting at least one reinforcing member to the interior wall of the at least one tower section to reinforce the at least one tower section at the potential load limiting locations.