Vestas has completed a 15-MW prototype nacelle in Denmark and is readying it for testing.
The completion of the V236-15.0 MW prototype nacelle at the factory in Lindø, port of Odense, is the culmination of the dedicated efforts of a wide range of Vestas teams.
”Colleagues across the Vestas value chain have worked very hard and collaborated closely to ensure the rapid progress in developing and assembling the V236-15.0 MW prototype, and we take important learnings with us as we move forward towards serial production,” says Chief Operations Officer Tommy Rahbek Nielsen.
The nacelle is currently being prepared for a comprehensive series of tests that will be performed in the production environment at the Lindø factory. These tests ensure that any improvement opportunities can be “frontloaded” before final installation.
In addition to mechanical testing, vital software for controlling the turbine will undergo strict control to verify the integrity and functioning of all electrical and mechanical interfaces between the modules. The test program ends with the physical rotation of the turbine’s drive train, before it is shipped to the Østerild test site for installation on the finished turbine.
“Completing the V236-15.0 MW prototype nacelle is a great milestone and an important step forward for Vestas and our customers. By leveraging Vestas’ extensive proven technology, the new platform combines innovation with certainty to offer industry-leading performance while reaping the benefits of building on the supply chain of our entire product portfolio. The new offshore platform forms a solid foundation for future products and upgrades,” Anders Nielsen, Vestas Chief Technology Officer, explains.
This prototype nacelle is the first manifestation of Vestas’ modular nacelle design. The modular nacelle components take full advantage of industrial standards, as the side-compartments are dimensionally designed to correspond to general industry standards rather than challenging them. The modular nacelle concept has been applied to Vestas’ latest EnVentus onshore turbines – the V162-7.2 MW and V172-7.2 MW.
The V236-15.0 MW moves the boundaries of offshore wind energy forward, with one single turbine being capable of producing up to 80 GWh/Year depending on site-specific conditions, which is enough energy to power more than 20,000 households.
News item from Vestas
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