Isra-Mart srl : Nordex races into offshore wind with new 6MW turbine

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Isra-Mart srl news:

Nordex has unveiled a "fast-track" strategy to tap into the growing offshore wind market with a new 6MW direct drive wind turbine already destined for an up-to 420MW project in the German Baltic Sea.

Two years after first announcing plans to enter the offshore market, the German manufacturer yesterday launched the N150/6000 wind turbine (PDF), with a larger 130m rotor diameter and no gearbox, in a bid to to increase energy output and wind farm revenue.
As part of a fast-track rollout, Nordex will deliver up to 70 of the new turbines in 2014/15 to the Arcadis Ost 1 project in the Baltic Sea, in which it has a 39 per cent stake. Prior to that, a prototype will be installed in 2012/2013, with serial production slated for 2014.

Nordex claims that the machine could boost revenue at Arcadis Ost 1 by €322m (£282m), when compared to a 6MW machine with a 125m rotor.

The N150/6000 will use a direct drive system with a permanent magnet generator instead of a gearbox to lessen the weight of the turbine and reduce the number of moving parts. It will also have a modular design to allow components to be replaced without dismantling the rotor.

The company has historically focused on the onshore wind market, but Nordex hopes to quickly gain the required experience at Arcadis Ost 1.

Speaking at the launch of the new machine yesterday Thomas Richterich, chief executive of Nordex SE, said he hoped that the lightweight but large design would prove successful in the increasingly competitive offshore market.

"We are able to extend the preliminary experience which we gained with smaller turbines within a relatively short space of time and offer our customers a mature product," he said.

Thomas Karst, chief executive of Nordex's offshore division, explained that it was important for offshore turbines to achieve optimum reliability.

"Out at sea in particular, we must do everything we can to optimise the technical reliability of the turbine. With cost structures differing to those in the onshore market, we are able to implement a more complex drive system, namely a direct drive," he said.