The 4-MW-class wind turbine is said to bring a new level of reliability to the offshore wind industry.
Two wind energy companies have installed the first 4.1-113 Offshore Turbine in the Gothenburg harbor. GE and Goteborg Energi announced at the European Wind Energy Association’s EWEA Offshore 2011 in Amsterdam. This project marks the first commercial application of GE’s 4.1-113 turbine, which was introduced in March 2011 at EWEA’s 2011 conference in Brussels. The 4-MW-class wind turbine is said to bring a new level of reliability to the offshore wind industry.
The 21-m dia. foundation is pile-driven into the sea-floor rock. Completion of the installation and connection to the grid was planned for the end of 2011. The 4.1-113 offshore turbine features one of the industry’s most mature offshore direct-drive designs, and builds on the company’s onshore experience with over 17,000 units.
With fewer moving parts, the simple and reliable direct-drive design has built-in redundancy and partial operation for major components, all focused on keeping turbines operating reliably at sea. The direct drive eliminates costly gearbox parts and lowers operating expenses. The 4.1-113 blade design is optimized to maximize energy capture at sites suitable for monopile applications. The platform is based on five years of operating history of the installed fleet of GE 3.5 MW turbines.
GE Wind
www.ge.com/wind
Filed Under: Construction, News, Offshore wind
