Nordex Wind Energy News: Nordex Generation Delta achieving an additional yield of up to 31% at locations with medium and strong winds

Nordex SE is unveiling the fourth generation of its proven multi-megawatt platform at the European wind power conference EWEA, which is taking place on 4-7 February 2013 in Vienna. With its larger rotors, increased nominal output and optimised technical systems, Generation Delta is setting new standards in terms of economic efficiency, reliability, serviceability and safety. Uniting proven Nordex technology with specific enhancements, the range comprises turbines for medium (IEC2) and strong wind speeds (IEC1). In this way, the company will particularly be targeting wind markets in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Scandinavia, France, Turkey and Northern Germany, broadening its existing Generation Gamma range with the addition of highly efficient systems for windy locations.

“With Generation Delta we have reached a new stage of evolution based on our proven multi-megawatt technology. Our foremost goal was to lower the electricity production costs. The new Nordex multi-megawatt turbines achieve an increase of up to 31 percent in yields, making them a particularly worthy investment,” says Dr. Jürgen Zeschky, CEO of Nordex SE.

Nordex’s Generation Delta comprises the N117/3000 with an installed capacity of 3.0 MW for medium wind speeds. This is a 20 percent increase in nominal output over its predecessor. Designed for locations characterised by high wind speeds, the N100/3300 has an installed capacity of 3.3 MW, resulting in a more than 30 percent increase in nominal output. The higher nominal output of these turbines has a positive effect on energy yields. Yet, despite this substantial increase in output, sound power levels have remained stable in both wind classes.

At the same time, substantially larger rotors are being used in both wind classes. Thus, the rotor diameter of the N117/3000 has grown by 17 metres, resulting in an increase of around 37 percent in the rotor sweep and significantly higher efficiency with around 10 percent higher number of full load hours. The N100/3300 has a rotor diameter ten metres larger than its predecessor, driving the swept area of the rotor up by 23 percent and contributing to even higher energy yields.

In addition, the Generation Delta’s turbines come with taller hub heights per wind class, enabling additional gains in annual energy production and opening up complex forested sites for wind turbine installations. Thus, Nordex is offering a steel tube tower with a hub height of 120 metres for medium wind-speed locations for the first time. The N100/3300 is now also available on a steel tube tower with a hub height of 100 metres for strong-wind sites.

Nordex has also improved its product offering substantially for cold regions. Generation Delta comes with Nordex’s Anti-Icing system for the 58.5-metre rotor blades fitted to the N117/3000 and also for the N100/3300. This is a first for strong-wind locations. This system heats the aerodynamically most important surfaces of the rotor blades, thus reducing ice formation efficiently. As a result, Nordex customers are able to rely on secure yields from their wind turbines and maximum availability in low-temperature regions.

Generation Delta has been designed to ensure particularly swift and safe servicing. This lowers costs during operations. A spinner, which completely encapsulates the rotor hub, ensures quick and safe access to this part of the turbine. The turbine nacelle is a particularly safe and spacious workplace and features extended escape and rescue routes. Automatic lubrication of the pitch bearing raceways does away with the need for manual attention to this matter, thus further reducing and shortening on-site maintenance requirements.

Nordex starts to deliver Generation Delta turbines at the beginning of 2014. Initial projects involving the N117/3000 and N100/3300 are being installed from mid 2013.

Nordex at EWEA 2013: Hall A, Stand No. A-E50