Turbine maker Siemens has increased the generating capacity of its gearless offshore wind turbine to 7 MW – without altering the turbine's essential components.
According to Siemens, its new SWT-7.0-154 wind turbine has the same rotor diameter of 154 meters as its 6 MW predecessor, but it delivers a nearly 10% higher energy yield.
According to Siemens, the gearless turbine also delivers more power. Seeing as the use of permanent magnets for exciting the generator obviates the need for electrical power or for the corresponding control system or slip rings, a high level of efficiency is achieved even at low wind speeds, the company notes.
Siemens has relied on gearless technology for its offshore wind turbines since 2010. A synchronous generator with permanent magnets converts the rotor motion directly into electrical energy without the use of a gearbox, which normally steps up the low speed of the wind rotor to high speed for generating electricity. With the new technology, the entire drivetrain operates with significantly fewer components, making it lighter, more compact and less prone to wear.
The start of series production is planned for the beginning of 2017.
