The is ready for shipment. The V117 is designed for areas with medium wind speeds. Annual energy production increases up to 7% when compared with the V112-3.0 MW.
Vestas recently introduced its first prototype wind turbine blades manufactured by the company in the U.S. The prototype blades are for its new V117-3.3 MW wind turbine. The 57.5-m blades (about 189 ft) are the longest ever manufactured in the in the U.S.
The Brighton facility is the only Vestas factory in the world equipped to produce this blade type. The Colorado factory will be producing more of these blades later in 2013 for a new wind-energy project in Denmark.
The blade tip is well protected for transport.
“Vestas chose the Brighton factory for the V117 prototype blade because it is one of the company’s newest factories with the most advanced technology with the production capacity,” said Bjarne Sandager Nielsen, Senior Vice President of Vestas Blades. “This new blade demonstrates our approach of continuously optimizing our products while creating a flexible manufacturing capacity. We are confident the V117, along with the new V110-2.0 MW, will be successful in the U.S. and Canada.”
The V117 offers advanced blade technology while lowering the cost of energy, all without requiring significant capital investments in manufacturing. The V117 is based on proven technology of the V112-3.0 MW. Vestas’ Brighton blade factory features a modular and flexible production line capable of producing blades for both the V112 and V117 turbines. The V117 blades feature a wound root extension that lengthens the 55-meter blade (V112) by 2.5 meters. The Brighton factory’s flexible production line can transform between blade types within a single day.
A few tech specs for the V117-3.3 MW
Rotor diameter: 117m (384 feet)
Hub height: 91 to 116.5m (382 feet)
Rated power: 3,300 kW
Cut-in wind speed: 3 m/s
Cut-out wind speed: 25 m/s
Vestas quick sketch
Employees
Globally: 17,000+
United States: 2,300+
Colorado: 1,100+
U.S. manufacturing
Blades (55m, 57.5m): Brighton, Colo.
Nacelles: Brighton
Blades (44m, 49m): Windsor, Colo.
Towers: Pueblo, Colo.
History
First turbine installed globally: 1979
First turbine installed in U.S.: 1982
Installed capacity
Worldwide: 49,000+ turbines (56 GW)
United States: 12,392 turbines (11 GW)
Canada: 1,374 wind turbines (2.3 GW)
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