Recently upgraded turbine gets an up-rating

It costs millions to develop a new turbine so it makes sense to push the bounds of existing models. GE Energy has done so with the recently introduced 4.1-113 wind turbine. It says the 4.1-MW class machine brings a higher level of reliability to the offshore wind industry. The design builds on the company’s recent 4.0-MW unit (Windpower Engineering’s Turbine of the Month, July 2010), which is an upgrade of the company’s 3.5-MW direct-drive design. The company recently signed a contract to provide a 4.1-113 model and services to Göteborg Energi for installation in the Gothenburg, Sweden harbor in the second half of this year.

“It is the only direct-drive wind turbine designed for offshore today,” says GE VP Victor Abate. With fewer moving parts, explains Abate, the direct-drive unit provides a simple, reliable design with built-in redundancy and partial operation for major components, while focusing on keeping turbines operating reliably at sea. The direct-drive eliminates a costly gearbox which lowers operating expenses. It relies on a modular approach to maximize in-situ repair and reduce the need for large repair vessels.

The base design has been operating since 2005 on a coastal site in Norway, a harsh environment with high winds and turbulence. The company says the equivalent of 50 years of lessons learned are built into the 4.1-113. The design also draws on solutions developed for the company’s onshore fleet, including its Advanced Loads Control, sensors and algorithms that help reduce loads which are ordinarily passed to the machine and foundation.

AWEA Wind Power Supply Chain Workshop: Logistics

Moderator: Nikhil Amin, President, Trinity Logistics Group

Panel:
- Vikash Patel, Transportation & Logistics Manager, GE Energy Logistics
- Sally Chope, Transportation & Logistics Manager, Siemens
- Terrance Moore, Dir. Business Development, American Electric Power (AEP) River Operations

1:30p – Vikash Patel, GE Energy
- Quality of logistics from OEM is key in earning business

- Keys to Good Logistics Team: Controllership, Communication, Rely on Core-Compency
- Cons to using Third Party Logistics Partner: Adding Expense, Remove Margin %, Lack of Industry Knowledge, Lack of Industry Visibility.

1:45p – Sally Chope, Siemens

- Siemens blade increase in blade size has been dramatic in last 2 years.
- Logistics needs to predict future…what ever we plan for today will change by the time we have to deliver.
- Siemens owns it’s own trains specific to their blades, towers, & Nacel
- All Sold & High Probability projects need to be considered in long-term logistics plan.
- Considerations for Logistic Plans: Trains can’t be pulled up to site, so can we get big components to site with trucks or do they need to be sized down? Need & Cost of escorts or police escorts; Road & Bridge height & weight clearance.

2:00p – Terrence Moore, AEP
- Division of Columbus, OH based AEP
- Barge water logistics is third tier because they still need rail & truck transportation.

- Initial Assessment includes: Origin & Destination; Load Date; Delivery Date & Fabrication Date, Size Requirements
- Port Considerations: Dock & Pad Capacity; Crane Capacity, Lay Down Area; Perimeter Features including impediments, Rail Access, Security; Highway access; Weather/ Time of Year considerations.
- Key Benefits of Water Transportation: Safe & Secure, Environmental Friendly, 24/7 in-use and tracking, less physical impediments.

2:15p – Nikhil Amin, Trinity Logistics Group
- Manufacture of Train & Barges
- Custom Rail cars for towers and blades
- Forecast Reliability -> Sets the Plan
- Supplier Reliability -> Sets the Service Model
- Pick Up & Delivery Timeframe -> Ensures site & customer confidence
- Site Readiness to unload -> Optimizes manpower & equipment
- Optimized Equipment -> Ensures Capacity
- Performance Measurement – > Ensures Standardization
- Contingency Planning is Critical – shrinking delivery window by weather & production; Dependency of supplier/vendor, Equipment Readiness, State/Local planning

Q&A

Q1: What are logistics strategy for Windpower in remote areas?
- A1: Sally – Lots of pre-planning.

Q2: Is it possible & necessary to standardize highway codes?
-A1: Vikash – Could it be done, probably…will it, probably not. Wind could push for similar exception as mobile homes, where they can travel nationwide without restrictions of most logistic regulations from state & local.

Q3: As Wind Turbine grow to larger sizes, how are you innovating logistic systems?
- A1: Sally – we actually try to stay ahead of curve through the companies innovation. Heading to Europe next week to work with a new product that is so large it is currently unable to be railed.

Q4: As Off-shore grows how important is it to colocate with projects?
- A1: Terrance – AEP is inland based so AEP barges won’t currently work for off-shore except for Great Lakes but there certainly are ship and barge options for this transportation.
- A2: Vikash – need to be ready to break units into smaller pieces at port and put back together onsite offshore

GE Energy joint ventures in India help expand market share

General Electric Co.’s energy unit, GE Energy, plans to increase its’ growth in India through some domestic alliances and localizing production in key businesses such as wind power.

“We can do partnerships, we can do licensing, we can do this in many areas, and we are looking at all these different possibilities,” Kishore Jayaraman, GE Energy’s president and chief executive for the India region, told Dow Jones Newswires recently. GE Energy’s efforts to accelerate growth are in line with the recent statement of Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of the U.S.-based General Electric, that he was frustrated with GE’s growth in India and the group had missed opportunities here.

Mr. Jayaraman added that GE Energy is looking for tie-ups in the power transmission and distribution sector and for its optimization control products, which help maximize the economic performance of systems. “We are also looking for partners for the industrial products that we have,” he added.

Mr. Jayaraman said GE Energy’s goal in 2009 was to ensure execution of projects, position products in the market and create a platform for growth. “The next step in the whole equation is to make sure the products I sell in this country are applicable to this country.” He said wind turbine generators, gas turbines and power transmission and distribution will be GE Energy’s main focus initially in India. The company is aiming at a market share of 20% to 25% for these products in three to five years.

He also said order intake for the company’s existing products is “as healthy as it can be.” He expects order size to increase due to a “healthy and robust business” in India. “There is a lot of demand-supply gap in this country in the power generation and distribution segments,” said Mr. Jayaraman.

In its attempt to go local, GE Energy–through a joint venture–acquired in May a majority stake in Indo Tech Transformers Ltd., a power transformer manufacturer based in the southern Indian city of Chennai. GE’s joint venture with Mexico’s Xignux–Prolec-GE–owns a 74.35% stake in Indo Tech, according to data from the Bombay Stock Exchange Web site.

Mr. Jayaraman said transformers are GE Energy’s first step in capacity building in India and it is looking for similar tie-ups in other areas. “As generation ramps up, I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities for growth in the transmission and distribution sector,” he added.

India’s current five-year economic plan aims to add a generation capacity of 78,700 megawatts by 2012 to meet rising demand in the fast-growing economy. Also, GE Energy, one of the largest makers of wind turbines in the world, has begun the construction of a wind turbine assembly unit in Chennai. The company is looking to create a local supply chain to source components such as blades, towers and gear boxes. The plant will start production in the second half of 2010. It will have a capacity of making 300 wind turbines, or 450 MW, a year.

Mr. Jayaraman added that India is now giving generation-based incentives and the lobby to drive wind energy has strengthened.

General Electric recieves $1.4 billion wind turbine contract

GE announced earlier this month that it received a $1.4 billion contract from independent power producer Caithness Energy to supply wind turbines and provide services for an 845-megawatt (MW) wind farm project to be located in Oregon. The wind farm, called Shepherds Flat, has received the majority of the necessary government permits to operate and is ready to be built. When completed it will be larger than any wind farm currently in operation around the globe and will be powered by 338 of GE’s 2.5 MW wind turbines.

“This project underscores our commitment to harness the power of wind to meet present and future energy needs while reducing greenhouse emissions. The Shepherds Flat project will add more renewable energy to the west coast’s energy mix and help the region meet its demand for clean energy,” said Les Gelber, a partner at Caithness Energy.

“GE wind turbines have a strong track record of performance that has been proven in nearly every form of climate worldwide. Their ability to continually advance wind turbine technology will help us to provide our customer, Southern California Edison, with the reliability they expect,” added Gelber.

“The Caithness project highlights our ability to deliver integrated solutions in the clean energy space and it supports our overarching focus to provide first in class technology to our customers,” said Steve Bolze, president and CEO of GE Power & Water.

The Shepherds Flat wind farm is the first in North America to deploy GE’s 2.5xl wind turbine, which has been proven in Europe and Asia.

“The 2.5-MW wind turbine is the latest evolution of GE’s wind turbine technology and provides customers with greater efficiency, reliability and grid connection capabilities. The 2.5-MW builds upon the success of GE’s 1.5-MW wind turbine, the world’s most widely deployed wind turbine with more than 12,000 installed,” said Bolze.

Caithness Energy estimates that the $2 billion project will inject $16 million annually of direct economic benefits into Oregon, and will employ 400 workers during construction and 35 during operation. Construction will be on a large scale not only because of the large number of turbines, but because 85 miles of road and 90 miles of power connection to the grid will be built. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2010 and be completed in 2012.

The 2.5xl wind turbines for the Shepherds Flat wind farm will be assembled at GE’s site in Pensacola, Florida. In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE will provide ten years of operational and maintenance services to the project. GE Energy Financial Services, which holds a large portfolio in more than 40 wind farms with a total capacity of 6 GW is also investing in the Shepherds Flat project.

In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE will provide ten years of operational and maintenance services to the project.

“As the nation’s leading utility for renewable energy, we are enthusiastic about the size and quality of this project,” said Marc Ulrich, Southern California Edison Vice President, Renewable and Alternative Power. “Wind power is an essential component to creating a clean, green energy future for California and the rest of the nation.”

The project will help California meet both its capacity needs and renewable energy goals. With the capability to generate two billion kilowatt-hours per year of renewable energy, the wind farm will represent one of the largest projects in Southern California Edison’s renewable portfolio. The project will provide enough clean energy to power approximately 235,000 average California households – according to US Environmental Protection Agency methodology – and will avoid more than 1.5 million tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions, compared to equivalent fossil fuel generation.

GE buys more than a 3.5-MW turbine manufacturer

GE says it has acquired ScanWind, a developer of advanced gearbox-free drive trains aimed at offshore deployment. The company manufacturers and markets direct-drive wind turbines from its headquarters in Trondheim, Norway and a design-engineering center in Karlstad, Sweden. Direct drives connect the rotor to a generator that operates at low rotational speeds creating a simpler and more reliable drive train. The company has 11 of the turbines operating on the Norwegian coast.

ScanWind also comes with a clever tower and nacelle-lifting equipment tailored to erecting of large turbines in complex terrain. The design erects two lattice towers on either side of a site to lift the tower and nacelle into place. The company says the lifting towers work in winds up to 15 m/s winds frequent on coasts, and works well for wind class IEC 1. What’s more, its small footprint minimizes its environmental impact.

Earlier in 2009, ScanWind described development of its SW-100-4000 (a 4-MW) offshore unit based on the existing SW-90-3500 design. First offshore prototypes are slated for installation in 2011.

In a conventional turbine, the rotor drives a gearbox and that turns the generator. Turbines with greater electrical outputs, such as offshore turbines, generate greater loads, making gearbox reliability a challenge.

GE designs an “overcoat” for 2.5 MW turbines

GE Energy says its most advanced wind turbine, the 2.5xl, is now available with a Cold Weather Extreme (CWE) package. It ensures that the wind turbine operates in temperatures as low as -30C, and in survival mode without operation, at temperatures as low as -40C. The CWE package is important for wind turbines that operate in Canada where cold temperatures are common. Earlier this year, GE announced that the 2.5xl, already available in Europe and Asia, will be launched in North America in 2010. The CWE package originally was developed for the company’s 1.5-MW turbine and has been adapted for the 2.5xl.

Recovery plan stimulates a 74-turbine addition

One of the first wind energy projects expected to benefit from President Obama’s stimulus plan (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) is being developed by Invenergy Wind in LaSalle County, Ill. GE Energy, Schenectady, N.Y. will supply 74 of its 1.5-MW wind turbines to begin the expansion of the Grand Ridge Energy Center. When completed, the country’s wind power capacity will have increased by over 110 MW.

Several provisions in the reinvestment act encourage development of wind projects, including a three-year production tax credit (PTC) extension, an option to elect a 30% investment tax credit (ITC) in place of the PTC, a temporary program that includes an option to convert the ITC into a Treasury grant, and a new DOE loan-guarantee program. “With a White House and a Congress that support renewable energy and understand the importance of energy independence, Invenergy and GE are poised to make a significant contribution to the growth of wind energy development in the U.S.,” says Invenergy’s President and CEO Michael Polsky.

“The availability of stimulus funds paves the way for a new wave of growth for the American wind industry,” says GE Energy CEO John Krenicki. “We encourage others in the wind industry to follow Invenergy’s example and move forward with their plans to develop new wind farms to help meet the nation’s demand for cleaner energy.”

“A strong, vibrant wind industry can be a tremendous growth engine, playing a key role in building a strong future for our national economy,” adds Krenicki. “In 2008 alone, the wind industry channeled an investment of $17 billion into the economy while adding more than eight gigawatts of new generating capacity. GE played a role in the development by installing one of every two new wind turbines in the U.S.” With continuing government encouragement to accelerate its development, wind power will provide a steadily increasing percentage of U.S. electricity,” adds Krenicki.

Polsky adds that doubling the production of renewable energy in the next three years is possible with a strong and consistent energy policy. Enacting a national Renewable Electricity Standard is the single most important step Congress can take to lay the long-term foundation for a ‘green-collar’ workforce and a domestic renewable energy-manufacturing base. With this level of government commitment, and with the support of the energy industry and the American public, the country is positioned to tackle and solve our energy and environmental challenges.”