• News
  • Press Releases
  • Renewable News
  • Wind

ZF Wind Power – 40 years of innovation: 65 000 gearboxes, global service and 120 GW installed worldwide


  •   ZF’s innovation and pioneering projects over time, demonstrate leadership in wind gearbox solutions
  •   Continuous research and smart applications of digital solutions make ZF a dependable service partner for all global wind projects
  •   ZF’s experience and excellence have resulted in a powerful service partnership following joining forces with Vestas

    This year, at WindEurope 2019 – Bilbao, Spain, ZF Wind Power takes visitors on a trip through memory lane, filled with innovation milestones in wind gearboxes and service. They will experience four decades of continuous gearbox innovations, provided by a trusted partner with a global footprint and established high-end manufacturing capabilities. Starting in the second decade of this millennium, ZF Wind Power presents SHIFT, the most powerful gearbox platform, and ‘Service powered by Analytics’, the use of digital technology to increase output, availability and lifetime. Walking down the timeline, visitors will experience in real-life how the size of gearboxes have evolved during the years. The tour ends with the birth of the first gearbox for the wind industry in 1979, which will be available at the fair too.

    ZF Wind Power has demonstrated commitment to a growing wind industry and is positioned as a key player to transform global energy systems over the next decades to come.

    From the first gearbox ‘RNC21’ in 1979, to ‘SHIFT 6k’, a game- changer

    In 1979, ‘RNC21’ the first ZF-gearbox for the wind industry was born and shipped to Denmark.
    During the last 40 years, ZF Wind Power has proven to be a true innovator in the wind industry. In a constantly evolving world, energy demand is growing. Competitiveness of wind power depends on improvements of LCoE (Levelized Cost of Energy), where both gearbox design improvements and lifecycle services play a major role. Thanks to 40 years of continuous research and development, ZF has created deep and rich technology solutions that have now led to the world’s most compact and powerful design that significantly reduce LCoE: ‘SHIFT 6k’.

    ‘SHIFT 6k’ is the most powerful wind gearbox platform in terms of torque density (175 Nm/kg), powering a new generation of turbines from 4.5MW up to 7MW with rotor diameters of up to 180 meters.

To read the full content,
please download the PDF below.