Adwen has entered the final stages of the installation of its AD 8-180 offshore wind turbine prototype in Bremerhaven , Germany.
The foundation, including hammering 51 piles into the ground and installing 1,700 m³ of concrete, was finished earlier this year.
In addition, the first three sections of the tower have been installed, including the power section. The fourth will be installed in the coming days. The fifth and final section will be installed at the same time as the nacelle.
The pre-commissioning tests of the nacelle were completed at Fraunhofer IWES DyNaLab. Back at Adwen’s facilities, the hub has been mounted on the nacelle, and this assembled unit is undergoing additional testing.
Finally, the world’s longest blades are stored on the site ready to be lifted.
Over the past 18 months, the 8MW platform has undergone one of the most extensive validation campaigns in the industry, Adwen said. During this period of time, individual and fully integrated subsystems have been tested, and the results confirm the robustness of the turbine design. The comprehensive process has been of paramount importance to de-risk the technology. This will help speed-up the certification of the platform and provides customers with confidence in its expected performance, according to the turbine manufacturer.
“As we get closer to the commissioning of the AD 8-180 prototype, I am excited to have the opportunity to confirm what we have learned during one of the most demanding validation campaigns this industry has ever seen. We are convinced that our wind turbine will be a top performer and a key contribution in the race to reduce the levelized cost of offshore wind energy thanks to its reliability and unmatched annual energy production (AEP)”, said David Guiu , Adwen Chief Commercial Officer.
The AD 8-180 has been selected for three projects off the coasts of France, totalling 1.5GW.