GE Renewable Energy announced on Monday the launch of its new onshore turbine platform, Cypress, and the next model from that platform, GE's 5.3-158 turbine, which it says offers up to a 50 percent increase in annual energy production (AEP) over the life of the platform versus GE's 3 megawatt (MW) turbines.
'The platform advances the proven technology of GE's 2 MW and 3 MW fleets, which serves an installed base of nearly 20 GW, while also utilizing architecture and innovations from the 4.8-158 turbine introduced in 2017,' a press release read.
According to the statement, the Cypress platform, which also includes the 4.8-158, will be powered by a revolutionary two-piece blade design, enabling blades to be manufactured at even longer lengths and improving logistics to offer more siting options.
'Longer blades improve AEP and help drive down Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and the proprietary design will allow these larger turbines to be installed in locations that were previously inaccessible,' it said.
'It significantly drives down logistical costs, by enabling blade assembly onsite and reducing the costs for permitting equipment and road work required for transporting longer blades. Equally importantly, it features blade tips that offer customers greater flexibility to address site wind conditions and requirements,' GE added.
The 5.3-158 turbine can provide power for the equivalent of 5,200 European residential homes, the company said, claiming the combination of planned, condition-based and predictive services will help ensure more reliability, uptime and production while ultimately lowering lifecycle costs for the customer.
It is also designed to scale over time, enabling GE to offer a wider array of power ratings and hub heights to meet customer needs throughout the 5 MW range.
Pete McCabe, CEO of GE's Onshore Wind business, said the prototype Cypress 4.8-158 was currently under production at the company’s Salzbergen, Germany facility.
'We are looking forward to deploying and commissioning it by the end of the year. This platform, which reflects our relentless focus on quality, will enable our customers to achieve a new level of competitiveness in the power generation marketplace,' he added.
Cypress is the second major technology platform launch of the year for GE, which introduced the Haliade-X 12 MW offshore turbine platform in March.
Labelled as the most powerful as well as the largest and most efficient offshore wind turbine in the world to date, the Haliade-Z features a 220-meter rotor, a 107-meter blade and digital capabilities, powering the equivalent of up to 16,000 European homes.
It is currently being bid for projects that will ship in 2021.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr