Technological Innovations and Depleting Natural Resources to Propel the Wind Turbine Industry

Evolving Wind Turbine Technology

Owing to the growing demand for energy and the rising issue of global warming, energy supply has become a crucial element for major economies around the world. As a response to the climate and energy challenges, more and more countries have opted for renewable and sustainable energy sources such as wind power, which is likely to play a more active role as the world makes a shift towards sustainable energy in the coming decades. A wind turbine is one of the cleanest, most reliable, and cost-effective sources of energy which is used to generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy of the wind. The technology is becoming more powerful with the latest designs which use wind to generate more electricity. They are increasingly being built to harvest energy across the globe.

The wind turbine technology has been growing at a rapid speed in recent years. This is due to the technological advancements for the development of more reliable and efficient wind turbines, depleting natural resources, and government initiatives to explore alternative sources of energy. In addition, reduced wind energy prices owing to the technological development and short lead time for the planning and construction of wind power projects are anticipated to offer lucrative opportunities for the growth of the wind turbine industry. The market is expected to reach $134,600 million by 2023 from $81,147 million in 2016, witnessing a CAGR of 7.2% from 2017 to 2023, says Allied Market Research.

As wind turbine technologies are continuing to advance, companies in the ecosystem are inventing new ways to leverage the technology to bring benefits to their business. In addition, strategies such as product launches, collaboration, expansion of reach and gaining a higher market share are leading to market growth. For instance, MHI Vestas, a leading offshore wind turbine company, launched the world’s first commercially available wind turbine with the aim of providing the best possible business to customers. GE Renewable Energy, a part of General Electric that focuses on onshore and offshore wind, solar, and hydroelectric power generation, unveiled its new 5.3 MW onshore wind turbine with better energy output, installation, and maintenance efficiency than the company’s earlier models. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE), a Spanish-based renewable energy company entered into an agreement with Ruselprom, leading manufacturer and supplier of electrical machines and drives in Russia for the production of turbine generators.

MHI Vestas’s First Commercially Available Turbine

The 10 MW wind turbine called the V164-10.0 MW introduced by MHI Vestas is developed with proven technology and lessons learned from previous installations of the V164 platform. With a stronger gearbox, 164 meters rotor diameter, some minor mechanical upgrades, and a small change to improve airflow and increase cooling in the converter, the turbine allows its implementation at full power, at a site with wind speeds of 10 meters per second for 25 years.

Philippe Kavafyan, CEO of MHI Vestas said, “In launching the V164-10.0 MW today, MHI Vestas is proud to contribute this major milestone to the offshore wind industry. And it gives us the opportunity to pay tribute to all the wind industry pioneers who have led us to this historic, double-digit nominal capacity.”

GE Renewable Energy Unveils Onshore Wind Turbine

The new turbine model launched uses the company’s new Cypress wind turbine platform and offers a 50% increase in annual energy production over the company’s 3MW platform. It also has been built with more robust manufacturing processes and increased systems-level hardware testing. Incorporating learnings from GE’s 2 MW and 3 MW models, the turbine has a two-piece carbon blade design, enabling improved logistics. The blade tips are designed in a way that it provides greater flexibility depending on wind conditions and site requirements. The Cypress platform allows the company to offer a wider array of power ratings and hub heights to address customer requirements throughout the 5 MW range.

SGRE Signs Contract with Ruselprom

The collaboration between Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and Ruselprom aims at local manufacturing and delivering of generators for onshore wind turbines. Siemens Gamesa says that they are pleased to have Ruselprom as a strong partner to their supply and value chain, and very excited to make their foray in the Russian renewable energy market to deliver sustainable energy generation for Russia.

Conclusion

The wind turbine technology has developed over the years and reached a stage of maturity now. It is a significant part of the world’s electricity industry. Renewable sources of energy are a tool to fight against climate change, and energy sources such as wind can help in creating a sustainable electricity generation system for the time to come.

The article is written by Vinit Sawant. Vinit is passionate about sustainable energy and writes extensively about the wind industry.