Hamburg, 26 September 2018 – A number of product launches and business transactions have been reported from WindEnergy Hamburg during the first two days of the world’s leading wind industry expo. The biggest gathering of the global wind industry is always a platform for showcasing visions, products, services and business, said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency in Hamburg, summarising the direction the expo is taking. His personal vision: Continued growth of the industry so it will be Europe’s leading energy provider by 2027. Until Friday, more than 1,400 exhibitors from 40 countries are presenting the entire portfolio of the wind industry on land and at sea at the Hamburg Messe site. Taking place in parallel, the global WindEurope conference offers a high-profile programme where more than 250 expert speakers cover current and future topics related to wind energy. Both top-ranking events jointly form the Global Wind Summit in Hamburg.
Timed perfectly for the world’s leading wind industry expo, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) celebrated the topping-out ceremony for its electrothermal energy storage facility (ETES) in Hamburg-Altenwerder. With this innovative storage system, Siemens Gamesa offers a solution for one of the core challenges of the energy transition: enhancing flexibility for both, the supply and demand sides of the renewable energy market. With a capacity of 30 megawatt hours (MWh), the system boasts maximum scalability and low investment costs. What is more, the company said it has received a contract to build eight new wind farms off Spain during the first two quarters of 2019. At the VDMA Morning Briefing, Andreas Nauen, CEO Offshore at Siemens Gamesa, also announced the introduction of several logistics and technology innovations enabling further cost reductions in the offshore wind segment.
Right on the first day of the trade fair, MHI Vestas presented plans to build a 10 MW version of its V164 offshore wind turbine. The unit is expected to be ready for deployment at sea from 2021. It will also be suitable for installation as a ‘floating wind turbine’. This means MHI Vestas will be the first manufacturer to market a commercial wind turbine in the 10 megawatt class. The V164 will feature a Beefier gearbox, some minor mechanical upgrades and an improved air flow design.
GE Renewable Energy introduced a new 5.3 MW onshore wind turbine model with a two-piece blade design as part of a new platform with improved logistics and site functions just in time for WindEnergy Hamburg. The 5.3-158 is the latest addition to the Cypress platform, which builds on GE’s 2 MW and 3 MW fleets and utilizes the 4.8-158 turbine architecture. According to GE, it offers up to a 50% increase in annual energy production (AEP) compared to the 3 MW platform and enables “significant” AEP improvements, higher service efficiency and better transport and site potential. A prototype of the 5.3-158 machine is currently being manufactured in Salzbergen and is scheduled to go into operation by the end of 2018.
