North American Windpower: Siemens Unveils New 4 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

Siemens Unveils New 4 MW Offshore Wind Turbine

in News Departments > Products & Technologies

by NAW Staff Tuesday February 05 2013

Siemens Energy has launched a new offshore wind turbine, which features a generating capacity of 4 MW and a rotor diameter of 130 meters.

The new SWT 4.0-130 wind turbine joins Siemens' 3.6 MW turbines as part of the company's G4 geared-drive platform series. The nacelle and tower of the SWT 4.0-130 are variants of those used in the 3.6 MW wind turbine design, Siemens says. The rotor blades are manufactured using the company's IntegralBlade process, in which they are cast in a single piece without the use of adhesive bonding.

The new B63 rotor blade, which measures 63 meters in length, sweeps an area equivalent almost to the size of two football fields, according to Siemens. Thanks to optimized coupling of blade bending and twisting, these aeroelastic blades react more flexibly to high wind loads, the company adds.

In December 2012, a SWT 4.0-130 prototype was installed and commissioned at the Osterild Test Center in Denmark. Serial production of the turbine is expected to commence in 2015.

Siemens also announced that in the future, each of its wind turbines will belong to one of the following platforms: Siemens G2, Siemens G4, Siemens D3 or Siemens D6. Platforms based on geared technology are denoted by the letter "G" (for "geared drive"), while product platforms featuring gearless technology are identified by the prefix "D" (for "direct drive").

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