The choice, Hansen says, rests with the customer. Tower height is not simply a question of better performance, says the Oregon Department of Energy's Don Bain. But Bain wants to know how tall towers effect the cost of energy. The optimum depends on tower configuration and its cost. Bain also notes that aesthetics will be an issue in some places.
Tall towers are more visible than short towers.
And though tubular towers are visible for great distances on the North American plains, Minnesotans prefer tubular towers for aesthetic reasons. Lifts would make it easier for able-bodied technicians to quickly service the nacelle. Lifts would also enable the handicapped to service the machines says Stoddard. Zond's Hansen doubts today's turbines can economically justify elevators, especially in California where Hansen finds Cal-OSHA's safety regulations too costly. But the question could be re-examined, he says, as turbines grow to nearly one megawatt in size.