Wind Turbine Tower with Yaw Bearing System

A non-uniform tower for a wind turbine, the tower having a vertical axis and being adapted to support a horizontally oriented rotor, the tower adapted for rotation about the axis, the tower comprising:

• a base including at least one circumferentially extending track, the base adapted to be fixed relative to the ground;
• an elongated upper main body, and a bottom extremity defining a circumferentially extending skirt portion adapted to be rotatably anchored to the track for accommodating wind induced rotatable yaw movement of the tower,
• a plurality of circumferentially disposed conical wheels positioned in rotary engagement with the track, each wheel having at least one radially extending spindle;
• and
• a corresponding plurality of circumferentially disposed yaw bearing cartridge assemblies affixed to the skirt portion, each cartridge assembly rotatably mounted on one spindle to collectively support the rotatable movement of the tower about the base.

A rotary track bearing system for a non-uniform wind turbine, comprising:

• a base including at least one circumferentially extending track, the base adapted to be fixed relative to the ground;
• a tower having a vertical axis and an elongated upper main body, the tower adapted for rotation about the axis, and a bottom extremity defining a circumferentially extending skirt portion adapted to be rotatably anchored to the track for accommodating wind induced rotatable yaw movement of the tower;
• a plurality of circumferentially disposed conical wheels positioned in rotary engagement with the track, each wheel having at least one radially extending spindle;
• and
• a corresponding plurality of circumferentially disposed yaw bearing cartridge assemblies affixed to the skirt portion, each cartridge assembly rotatably mounted on one spindle to collectively support the rotatable movement of the tower about the base.