INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Green Technology
Largest onshore wind turbine
for HUSUM Wind
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G
E Renewable Energy launched its new
4.8–158 wind turbine, the largest
onshore wind turbine ever built by
GE, at the HUSUM Wind show. With GE’s
largest rotor and innovative blade design,
the 4.8–158 onshore facility significantly
improves annual energy yield and reduces
the cost of electricity for customers at low to
medium wind speeds.
“The design of the 4.8–158 represents a
major advancement in technology and
efficiency and we are pleased to be able
to showcase the system at HUSUM Wind,”
said Pete McCabe, Global President and
CEO of GE’s Onshore Wind division. “The
wind turbine is ideal for regions with low
to medium wind speeds, especially in
Germany, but also in Australia and Turkey,
as well as for auction systems. Many
countries around the world are pushing
ahead with their call for a reduction in
electricity production costs.”
The new 4.8 MW wind turbine, which marks
GE’s onshore entry into the 4MW power
class, has a rotor diameter of 158 metres
and various tower options up to a total
height of 240 metres. The combination
of a larger rotor and a high tower allows
the system to use higher wind speeds and
generate more energy.
GE’s latest wind turbine features high-tech
rotor blades, improved load management,
intelligent control systems, and higher and
more economical towers. These innovative
features have been developed in close
collaboration with LM Wind Power, Blade
Dynamics and GE’s Global Research Centers.
The 77-metre-long carbon rotor blades are
LM Wind Power’s longest onshore blades
to date and leverage the company’s many
years of expertise and latest material
development. The flexibility of carbon leaves
enables GE to offer its customers a highly
efficient product while further reducing their
cost of electricity. The rotor blades also have
one of the smallest blade bolt diameters in
the industry, which reduces manufacturing
and logistics costs.
“This wind turbine is a great example
of what we can achieve through the GE
Store by combining our technology and
development potential with the innovative
design and expertise of LM Wind Power,
Blade Dynamics and GE’s global research
centres,” said Pete McCabe.
He continued: “We have addressed the needs
of more than 30 customers around the world
to ensure we meet their specific needs with
this highly efficient product and support
their efforts to deliver lower cost electricity
from renewable energy sources.”
The 4.8–158 benefits from the best
features of GE’s 2 and 3 MW platforms,
including the proven Double Feed
Asynchronous Generator (DFIG) and a
rugged powertrain design. By maintaining
a noise level of 104 dB in normal operation,
the wind turbine satisfies the requirement
for low noise emissions. The newly
developed machine head was designed to
reduce the use of large cranes and allow
repairs in the machine head. The integrated
electrical system simplifies troubleshooting.
GE’s most powerful onshore wind turbine
draws from the experience and analysis
of data from over 30,000 installed
wind turbines and is equipped with
next-generation GE control systems.
Leveraging GE’s Predix applications, with
Asset Performance Management (APM),
Cybersecurity and Business Optimisation
(BO) solutions, our customers achieve
operational results, including extended life
and improved wind farm economics. n
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