Spain-based Guascor Group, an industrial corporation specializing in customized energy solutions based on renewable energy, and Israel-based IQwind, a wind technology company, will partner to commercialize and bring to market the IQGear, a high-efficiency variable gearbox for the wind industry.
The IQwind variable gearbox can be both retrofitted into existing wind turbines and utilized as a standard component in newly manufactured turbines. The high-efficiency IQwind technology can reduce the cost of energy by up to 20%, the company says.
‘The IQwind variable gear is an important development in wind-powered energy generation,’ says Cesar Fernandez de Velasco, CEO of Guascor. ‘It addresses the long-standing challenge of efficiently turning a variable wind source into stable electrical current and can make an immediate impact on the economics of wind projects.’
Guascor will manufacture the IQGear according to design and specifications provided by IQwind. To support the IQGear production, a new manufacturing line will be established in the Guascor Power facility in Basque Country.
According to the agreement between the companies, the initial 10 gearboxes manufactured by Guascor will be used for testing, certification and initial commercial installations and retrofitting currently operational turbines in 2010.
The companies will scale up to bring additional retrofitted and new turbines to the European market in 2011 and beyond. According to the agreement, IQwind will lead the sales, marketing and design activities and will continue to own any resulting intellectual property.
