First Rotor Blade Set for Enercon's Low Wind Speed WEC E-141 Produced

KTA Kunststofftechnologie Aurich GmbH, ENERCON’s rotor blade manufacturer, successfully completed the production of the first set of outer rotor blades for ENERCON’s new low wind speed WEC E-141 EP4. The blades are intended for the E-141 EP4 prototype that is currently under construction in Central Germany. At present the WEC components are assembled at the construction site. “We are well on schedule with the installation,” says Arno Hildebrand, the EP4 programme manager. “The installation of the rotor blades is scheduled for mid-November. Commissioning is planned before end of the year.“

With its 141 m diameter, the rotor blade of the E-141 EP4 is the longest to be found on the onshore market. Nominal power of the wind class III WEC is 4.2 MW. At sites where wind speeds average 6.5 metres per second, the E-141 EP4 will generate annual yields of more than 13 million kilowatt-hours. This means that the E-141 EP4 is the world’s highest yielding wind class III WEC. ENERCON plans to construct about 80 E-141 EP4 WECs next year.

The outer blades of the two-segment E-141 rotor blades are manufactured by KTA using a mouldbased process. The inner blades are manufactured in ENERCON’s winding centre at Haren/Emsland. Both components are joined and installed at the construction site. At present, KTA prepares the start of serial production of E-141 outer blades. They will be manufactured on the same production line as the E-101/3 MW rotor blades as from 2017.