The Texas A&M University System and Gamesa Technology Corp. have announced an agreement with the intention to install a new generation of wind turbine at West Texas A&M University, coordinated jointly by the Energy Engineering Institute and the Alternative Energy Institute of the A&M System. The Gamesa G10X—also known as the G128—would be the largest of its kind in the country, while providing substantial advances in production output, energy efficiency and noise reduction.
A signing ceremony was held at the 2010 American Wind Energy Association WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition, where A&M System and Gamesa officials initiated a long-term agreement in which the system, through its multiple members, will conduct ongoing research and testing for Gamesa’s energy-related projects. System members include the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (Energy Engineering Institute), Texas A&M University, West Texas A&M (Alternative Energy Institute), and the Texas Transportation Institute. The initial collaboration will involve installation of the Gamesa G10X, a 4.5-megawatt turbine that has a higher tower height and a larger rotor diameter (420 feet/128 meters) than existing land based turbines, which allows it to access better wind resources that further increase its production capability.
“Providing the innovations necessary to secure an efficient, high volume energy supply for our future is one of the most critical tasks before the world’s researchers today,” says Theresa Maldonado, Ph.D., P.E., associate vice chancellor for research of the A&M System and director of the E2I. “Great strides are being made in renewable energy resources, but the greatest challenge to their widespread use remains the limited capacity they currently generate. The A&M System is uniquely configured through its long history in energy research and its specialized facilities to address challenges in the wind energy industry. The Energy Engineering Institute is positioned to coordinate these R&D activities.”
According to Dirk Matthys, CEO of Gamesa, “Recognized for its worldwide reputation for conducting research and finding breakthrough technology, we look forward to this collaboration with Texas A&M,” he says. “This key relationship represents another milestone for Gamesa as we continue to grow and enhance our research programs to advance wind turbine technology in the U.S.”
The 4.5-megawatt platform G10X is Gamesa’s most ambitious program and is the industry’s most powerful onshore product to date. It has a tower height more than 30 percent taller than the Statue of Liberty. With its state of the art proprietary control technology and blade design, the G10X will be able to produce a 50 percent greater generating capacity than the current technology, with both greater efficiency and at a reduced noise level. Each G10X, when connected to the grid, will add power output equivalent to the annual consumption of more than 3,000 homes. Construction will take place at the Alternative Energy Institute Regional Wind Test Center at Nance Ranch, a West Texas A&M research facility. Learn more at www.gamesacorp.com.
