Sustainability Of Steel Constructions Of Renewables

Mechanical resistance, serviceability and durability are the primary requirements for steel structures of renewable energies. During design and execution, these structures are mainly influenced by economic and technical aspects. Currently, there is a lack of appropriate instruments for a holistic sustainability approach in order to consider sustainability aspects during the stages of design, manufacturing and erection of steel constructions. Based on existing rating systems originating from the building sector, a method for a holistic sustainability assessment of steel structures for renewables has been developed within the research project "NaStafEE". With the help of the sustainability rating system, different types of construction and variants of execution can be compared under consideration of requirements for sustainability aspects. This article deals with the development of the rating system and the exemplary application to steel support structures of offshore wind energy turbines and to steel digesters of biogas power plants.