Siemens has now installed a market-ready version of its new 6 megawatt (MW) gearless wind turbine on the test site of the power utility SSE, the UK’s largest generator of renewable energy.
Together with its customer, Siemens plans to carry out final testing at the site before going ahead with series production for the UK market but also for international markets. The turbine of the type SWT-6.0-154 with 154 meter rotor diameter offers cutting edge direct drive technology.
Thanks to its coastal location Hunterston is perfectly suited to testing of offshore wind turbines: The surrounding wind conditions around are similar to those to which offshore wind power plants in the Irish Sea are exposed. With the final tests Siemens is getting ready for Round 3, the next round of the expansion of British offshore wind power. By working with SSE to install the new turbine on SSE’s test site, Siemens is demonstrating its commitment to customer collaboration and a partnership approach to bringing new products to market. Earlier this year, Siemens installed two 6MWs turbines at the Gunfleet Sands offshore wind farm operated by Dong Energy to carry out the first offshore testing of this ultra-modern direct-drive turbine.
“We are proud to be installing the serial version of our 6-MW wind turbine in Hunterston,” says Jan Kjaersgaard, CEO for the EMEA Business Unit at Siemens Wind Power. “The United Kingdom is backing our technology in a particular way. That’s why we are seeking to collaborate with the country’s power suppliers right from the product development stage through to commissioning. We are focused on making a visible contribution to the UK’s economy.”
In addition to cooperating closely with its customers in the UK, Siemens has also expanded its own presence in Scotland. In October, Siemens will open a new hub to support its onshore wind business across the UK. With a permanent staff of over 30 employees based in Livingston near Glasgow it will manage onshore projects in England, Scotland and Ireland, and coordinate construction, installation and EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) operations. Siemens already employs around 1,300 people in its growing renewables business in the UK.
Siemens services and maintains almost half of the UK’s total wind-generating capacity – 1,900 Siemens wind power turbines for 12 offshore wind power plants with a total electrical generating capacity of 2.5 gigawatts and over 50 onshore wind farms delivering altogether about 2 gigawatts. The UK also plays a key role with Siemens global wind power business. Around 11 percent of the global Wind Power Division employees are British.
Wind power and the associated service activities are part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio, with which the company posted revenue amounting to roughly EUR 33 billion in fiscal year 2012. This makes Siemens one of the world’s largest providers of environmentally compatible technology. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 330 million tons, an amount equal to the total annual CO2 emissions of Berlin, Delhi, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo.
[mappress]
Press release, October 14, 2013; Image: siemens