Siemens Gamesa has launched a new 5MW onshore turbine platform and is offering two variants with different rotor sizes to the market.
The new platform, dubbed 5.X, will initially be available in two models: a 5.8MW with a 155-metre rotor and a 5.8MW with a 170 metre rotor.
Siemens Gamesa said the two rotor sizes will offer maximum performance in high, medium and low wind conditions.
The new platform was announced at the Wind Europe 2019 conference in Bilbao this morning, two years to the day after Siemens merged with Gamesa.
“Today we are celebrating our second anniversary. I cannot imagine a better way to do it than by announcing the launch of this new platform – tangible proof of Siemens Gamesa’s commitment to innovation and R&D,” said Siemens Gamesa chief executive Markus Tacke.
The 5.8-155 offers a 14% larger swept area than the company’s current largest turbine the 4.5-145.
That translates to a 20% greater annual energy production in sites with eight metre per second average wind speeds.
The 5.8-170, meanwhile, provides an increase of 37% in the swept area offering a 32% annual energy production boost at sites with seven metre per second average wind speeds when compared to the 4.5MW machine.
A prototype of the 5.8-155 is planned for mid-2020, with commercial production due to start in the fourth quarter of that year.
A prototype of the 5.8-170 is planned for the third quarter of 2020 and production is due to start in the first quarter of 2021.
Siemens Gamesa said the new turbines will “integrate advanced control technologies” to maximise their efficiency on the basis of site conditions.
Onshore service chief exective Mark Albenze said the platform has been “designed for future modular upgrades to meet the evolving demands of the market.”
“This platform is suitable for any kind of site across the globe,” he added.