Spain: Gamesa's G132-3.3 MW, among the 100 best ideas of the year selected by financial journal Actualidad Económica

Gamesa's G132-3.3 MW turbine has been named one of the 100 best ideas of 2015 by Spanish financial journal, Actualidad Económica. In its appraisal, the journal highlighted the fact that this turbine is capable of boosting electricity output in medium wind-speed conditions.

Ignacio Martín Negrete, the 3.3 MW platform director, and Belén Linares, the platform's chief engineer, collected the prize on behalf of the company.

The G132-3.3 MW, a class II turbine, offers the best cost of energy in its category. This turbine will come in four different tower heights, ranging from 84 to 134 metres, so that it can be tailored for each region's specific requirements. Moreover, this new turbine's blade, which is made from fibreglass and spans 64.5 metres, features a new family of aerodynamic edges which increase annual output while minimising noise emissions.

The platform's first prototype is slated for installation this autumn. The blades are being made at the Aoiz factory and production of the nacelle is due to begin in Agreda in the coming weeks. Mass production is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2017. Type certification is expected in 2017.

The purpose of these awards is to recognise the creativity and imagination of trend-setting companies that demonstrate their ability to innovate, a competitive advantage of crucial importance to sustaining competitiveness in the current economic climate.

This is the fourth year in row in which Actualidad Económica has included a Gamesa invention among its 100 best ideas: in 2013 it included the climate chamber for testing wind turbines at extreme temperatures (from -35º to +35º); in 2014 it singled out the G128-5.0 MW offshore turbine; and last year, it recognised the Bladeshield anti-freeze system.