Enercon has officially launched its new EP4 turbine platform following successful installation of an E-126 4.2MW machine in the Netherlands.
The German manufacturer erected the Class IIA prototype (pictured) at Lelystad and is already planning a follow-up and even bigger E-141 unit for low wind speeds.
“The launch of the prototype took place according to schedule,” said Enercon managing director Nicole Fritsch-Nehring.
The company said the EP4 “unites innovative technology and intelligent modular design, uses more identical parts and standard components and provides customers with the highest quality standards and maximum efficiency and reliability for a multitude of sites”.
Except for its longer rotor blades, the components of the E-141 EP4 will be almost identical to the E-126 EP4. “The E-141 EP4 is designed for Class III and has a rotor diameter of 141 metres which is currently the world‘s largest onshore rotor on the market,” said the company.
Serial production of the E-126 is scheduled to begin at the beginning of 2017 following pre-series units before the end of 2016.
For a comprehensive report on the EP4 platform and what it means for the European onshore wind market, see an exclusive feature by technology specialist Eize De Vries in this week’s subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS.
Image: Enercon
