Windpower for Bayonne, NJ

LEITWIND’s highly efficient gearless wind turbine will be the first of its kind in the New York-Northern New Jersey metro area.  The clean energy produced will be consumed on-site by the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority.  

When New Yorkers gaze from southern Manhattan towards the southwest, they see the iconic Statue of Liberty, the emblem of the metropolis.  When they look beyond the statue to New Jersey during the middle of January 2012 they will witness the first LEITWIND wind turbine in the USA being erected. The LTW77 LEITWIND wind turbine has a nominal power of 1.5 MW and a tower height of 262 feet (80 meters).  The blades are 252 feet (77 meters) in diameter.  Due to its height, the completed wind turbine will be visible from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan as well as from many other locations in the metropolitan area.

The new LEITWIND wind turbine is being installed together with its Colorado sister company, Leitner-Poma of America, who was the supplier of the new Roosevelt Island tramway. The hub, generator, and main frame components were manufactured in LEITWIND’s production facility in Austria. Domestic supply is guaranteed as rotor blades, electronic components and tower were manufactured in the U.S.  This project represents yet another example of the efficient use of the vast synergies within the international High Technology Investments (HTI) Group.  

The installation of the LTW77 1.5 MW is under contract with the Bayonne Municipal Utilities Authority by the local company FAI-GON ELECTRIC with support of LEITWIND.  The clean energy produced by the wind turbine will be supplied to the Oak Street Pumping Station, the main sanitary-storm water pumping station serving the entire City of Bayonne. The wind turbine is expected to produce approximately 3.3 GWh of electricity per year, which is a substantial contribution to New Jersey’s renewable energy portfolio. The Authority will save approximately US$175,000 annually in electricity costs through the use of the power generated by the wind turbine. The city is also assured a profit in the medium term that will be earned through the sale of excess electricity into the public grid.  This exciting project is proof of Bayonne’s continued commitment to renewable energy and the city’s desire to reduce pollution and diffuse the impact of fluctuating prices of fossil fuels.  

“This wind turbine may seem to be only a small contribution to the achievement of New Jersey’s ambitious goal of producing 30% of electricity from renewable sources by 2020. But this is an impressive and obvious sign of the city’s administration commitment to a sustainable future.” explains Anton Seeber, the CEO of LEITWIND.  For Seeber, the first LEITWIND wind turbine in the US is a powerful example of the growth of the company’s international presence.  

LEITWIND, a company of the HTI Group, is one of the leading producers of direct drive wind turbines. Through the use of synergies with its ropeway technology know-how, the company conceptualized a wind turbine based on the principle of the gearless direct drive generator.  From its very beginning, LEITWIND has pursued innovation driven by a simple vision: make effective and technologically advanced wind turbine generators that efficiently produce clean energy while ensu¬ring the highest level of reliability.

LEITWIND wind turbines are now in operation in Europe (Italy, Austria, France, Croatia, Bulgaria), Canada and Asia (India, Thailand, Sri Lanka).

Leitner-Poma of America, the North-American subsidiary of High Technologies Investments (HTI), is known worldwide for engineering, manufacturing, installing and servicing ropeway systems for the ski industry, amusement parks, and urban transport. Currently, in its facility in Grand Junction, CO, Leitner-Poma of America is manufacturing many installations for the ski industry including a recently signed contract for the Vail Number One 10 passenger gondola. They have also been awarded the contract to supply the cabins for the world’s largest observation wheel for Caeser’s Entertainment to be installed in Las Vegas.

LEITWIND / Leitner-Poma of America                         
www.leitner-poma.com