Offshore wind turbine

Offshore wind turbineSiemens Energy recently launched its new, offshore wind turbine: the SWT 4.0-130. This turbine features a generating capacity of four megawatts (MW), and a rotor diameter of 130 meters. It utilizes all of the key technologies of the proven 3.6-MW family; in fact, the nacelle and tower are advanced variants of the 3.6-MW design. The rotor blades are manufactured using Siemens’ IntegralBlade process, cast in a single piece, without the use of adhesive bonding. The new B63 rotor blade, measuring 63 meters in length, is the longest and technologically most advanced blade in the four-megawatt class. The B63 sweeps an area nearly equivalent to the size of two football fields. Thanks to optimized coupling of blade bending and twisting, these aeroelastic blades react more flexibly to high wind loads, absorbing forces similarly to the cushioning effect of shock absorbers on cars. This technology allows use of longer rotor blades, which boosts wind power capture and increases unit performance.

Siemens
www.siemens.com
 


Volume: March/April 2013