Hybrid Wind Turbine Tower with Integrated Yaw Bearing System

A hybrid tower for a wind turbine, the tower having a vertical axis and supporting a horizontally oriented rotor, the hybrid tower comprising:

• a lower tower base portion adapted to be fixed in a stationary position;
• an upper rotatable tower portion adapted to support the rotor at its top end, and further defining a rotor swept portion;
• a spindle extending downwardly from the upper rotatable portion and adapted for interconnection with, and rotation within, the base portion;
• a tower portion interface providing an interconnection between the upper rotatable and the lower base tower portions;
• the interface including a pair of vertically spaced ring bearings having circumferentially oriented inner and outer races aligned with the vertical tower axis such that the upper rotatable tower portion may be yawed into the wind;
• wherein the lower tower base portion includes an opening adapted to receive the outer races of the ring bearings, and wherein the inner races of the bearings include an opening adapted to receive the spindle for rotatable support therein of the spindle.

A bearing system for a hybrid wind turbine tower, the tower having a vertical axis, and including a lower stationary base portion adapted to be fixed relative to the ground, and an upper rotatable portion defining a downwardly depending spindle at its bottom end adapted for rotatable interconnection with the base portion;

• said bearing system comprising:
• an interface providing an interconnection between the upper rotatable and the lower base tower portions;
• the interface including a pair of vertically spaced ring bearings having circumferentially oriented inner and outer races aligned with the vertical tower axis such that the upper rotatable tower portion may be yawed into the wind;
• wherein the lower tower base portion includes an opening adapted to receive the outer races of the ring bearings, and wherein the inner races of the bearings include an opening adapted to receive the spindle for rotatable support therein of the spindle.