Alstom launches turbine for low wind sites

Alstom has launched its ECO 122 –a 2.7 Mw onshore wind turbine for the low wind regions.  This new turbine with high power and capacity offers increased energy yield.
 

The new turbines at a wind speed of 7.5 m/s the turbine delivers a net wind farm capacity factor of up to 42 per cent, equivalent to 3,600 full-load hours each year. Its 122-metrerotor diameter and swept area of 11,700 m2 – the largest in the 2 MW to 3 MW turbine segment – maximise the harvest of energy and the return on investments from low wind sites.This rotor in the 2 Mw to 3 Mw turbine segment delivers around 25 per cent increased wind farm yield.

“With the ECO 122 and other turbines in our ECO 100 platform, we’re leading the development of the new generation of high power, high-efficiency turbines. Longer blades capture more power more effectively, and with its swept area much larger than current generation machines, the ECO 122 has set a new standard for low wind sites around the globe,” said Alfonso Faubel, Senior VP,  Alstom’s wind business.

The ECO 122produces about 25 per cent increased wind farm yield on a given piece of land compared with today’s 1.5 – 2 Mw turbines, and fewer turbines need to be installed. As an example, on a typical low wind site, six current generation 1.5 – 2 MW turbines will produce around 40 GWh/year2, compared with more than 50GWh/year with only five ECO 122 turbines.”

An ECO 122powered wind farm can reduce balance of plant costs by 10-15 per cent, compared with a farm using typical 1.5 – 2 MW machines, due to fewer foundations, platforms and roads, and less cabling.

The ECO 100platform now has more than 350 MW installed or under construction worldwide and over 200,000 cumulative operating hours since 2008. The first ECO 122 will be installed in mid 2012 with first commercial deliveries expected in early 2013.