The NPS 100-24 and 60-23 are ideal for community wind and are almost silent, says the company.
Much of the recent wind turbine development focuses on lowering costs while raising ROI. From the need for a more efficient turbine, permanent magnet direct-drive manufacturer, Northern Power Systems (www.northernpower.com), has developed two turbines for low wind sites. The NPS 100-24 and NPS 60-23 reduce the turbine noise profile, enabling increased siting opportunities, says the company.
About 20 100-24 and 60-23 turbines have been deployed throughout the U.S., U.K., and Italy since 2012. “Turbines from Northern Power Systems lower costs and increase performance for turbine owners. The new designs improve the value proposition of our current line of turbines,” says Northern Power Systems CEO Troy Patton.
The NPS 100-24 is based on its predecessor, NPS 100-21, which was originally intended to service remote areas, such as Alaska, where regular maintenance is difficult. Both turbines house a gearless direct-drive, permanent magnet generator that has fewer moving parts than a conventional gearbox-based wind turbine, says the company. The longer blades capture more energy to lower wind speeds. What’s more, the larger rotor diameter allows lower revolutions per minute and lower tip speed for the NPS 100-24 and 60-23, making for quieter operation. A full-power converter in both turbines simplifies grid interconnections for added grid stability. The NPS 60-23 is ideal for areas with restricted grid connections.
Northern Power Systems says its permanent-magnet generators (they require no separate field excitation system) work at high efficiency, particularly at partial load.
The company adds that its low-wind turbines have surpassed 50,000 operational hours with availability in excess of 97%. WPE
Filed Under: Featured, Generators
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