Direct-drive turbine now delivers 3.2 MW output, resulting in increased energy yield and lowered costs.
Step by step, Siemens Energy is successfully pursuing its strategy for lowering the costs of wind power. At the European annual event for the wind energy industry, EWEA 2014, Siemens Energy’s Wind Power Division reported how the uprated performance of its direct-drive D3 wind turbines extracts higher energy yields. Exhibiting under the slogan “Watts up!” Siemens presented the new onshore 3.2 megawatt wind turbine, which, depending on its site of installation, can deliver up to 4 percent higher annual yield than its predecessor model.
Siemens has uprated its Platform D3 electrical generating capacity from 3.0 to 3.2 megawatts by improving the turbine control system. The uprating simultaneously demonstrates what impressive structural reserves are designed into the innovative technology of Siemens’ gearless wind turbines. “O
ne important goal of our development work is to utilize innovation to further tap the technical potential of our products,” said Henrik Stiesdal, CTO of Siemens Wind Power. Stiesdal also chaired the presentations on “Hardware Technology” at the accompanying EWEA Conference. Other experts from Siemens gave talks at the conference on topics such as energy storage technology and electrical systems.
Siemens also set up an Xpert Center at its booth, featuring short presentations addressing important questions about wind turbine engineering and operation. Siemens jointly presented one portion of the booth in its function as co-sponsor of the event with its host, the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). There, visitors experienced the interactive “Wind Challenge” exhibit to gain a true sense of just how much energy is born by wind by determining the correct wind speed of a simulated air flow.
