GE Renewable Energy has unveiled a new 4.8MW turbine with an 158-metre rotor diameter for the onshore wind market.
The 4.8-158 model is GE’s first onshore machine in the 4MW space and is available with tips heights up to 240 metres.
The new machine will have a 30% higher power output compared to the company’s current 3MW platform, GE product manager Minesh Shah said.
GE is exploring sites for a prototype to be set up by the end of next year.
The new machine is slated to be delivered to the first customers in late 2019, the company added.
The 77-metre blades have been designed and built by LM Wind Power and are the company’s largest units to date, GE said.
The company is currently exploring design options to meet the logistics challenge of road transport for the 77-metre blade, Shah added.
The 4.8MW hardware also features a doubly-fed induction generator and has noise levels of 104 decibels during normal operations.
GE added that a newly-designed drivetrain reduces the need for a large crane during up-tower repairs.
GE onshore wind business chief executive Peter McCabe said: “The 4.8-158 design is an important next step in turbine technology and efficiency.
“It is well suited to low to medium wind speed regions worldwide – examples include Germany, Turkey and Australia.”
Image: GE
