A two-bladed, 500 kW wind turbine is now providing power to the Mitchell County Desalination Plant in Texas.
The wind turbine, designed by Windflow Technology and built under license by General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, has a 45-meter rotor diameter and sweeps out an area of 1,590 square meters. The Windflow 45-500 is designed for sites with average wind speeds up to 8.5 m/s.
According to Windflow, the prototype nacelle was assembled last October. After factory testing, the nacelle, tower and blades were moved to the site in March. Erection of the turbine went smoothly and was completed in only two days. Similarly, internal assembly was completed within a week. The prototype has generated several hundred kilowatt-hours of electrical energy and is ready for continuous operation, the company notes.
Windflow says it will maintain and monitor the project for Mitchell County, the turbine's owners.
