GE has successfully completed manufacturing its first permanent magnet generator for the Haliade offshore wind turbine at its factory in Saint-Nazaire in France.
It is one of the largest generators ever built and will be installed in a prototype offshore turbine at the Osterild onshore test site in Denmark.
The generator has a 15% higher power yield than similar hardware, said GE.
The factory is set up to have a capacity of manufacturing 100 generators per year and the power supplied by the turbines will become increasingly cost effective as the volume of PMG’s coming out of the factory increases, it added.
The production site uses an air-cushion system to move generators and the manufacturing method does not require cranes, cutting costs. Its low component count increases reliability and enables higher energy efficiency, increasing turbine availability and reducing maintenance requirements.
“The factory in Saint Nazaire is the first offshore wind manufacturing site in France. By leveraging technologies from different GE businesses, we are well positioned to bring clean offshore wind energy to the domestic market as well as export to regions beyond France where energy is needed,” said GE renewables executive Frederic Maenhaut.
Image: Haliade 150-6MW turbine (GE)
GE completes Haliade heart
First PMG rolls out of French factory for use in offshore wind turbines
By EBS