GE Introduces New Wind Turbine Models that are Built on Proven Performance

Continuing to expand its capabilities to serve the growing and diverse needs of the global wind industry, GE (NYSE: GE) announced at Husum Wind Energy 2010 that it is introducing new members to its family of 2.5-megawatt wind turbines. All of the new models are designed to increase annual energy production (AEP) over the existing 2.5-megawatt wind turbine.
The new machines include:
GE’s 2.75-100 is an uprate of the existing 2.5-100 wind turbine with no mechanical component changes and only minor changes to the electrical system. GE’s 2.75-100 machine will provide greater AEP in IEC TC II1 environments.
GE’s 2.75-103 is a combination of the 2.75 uprate and the 103 meter rotor which utilizes GE’s 50.2 meter proprietary blade design that offers the latest enhancements in aerodynamics, reduced acoustic emissions and robust performance. The new 2.75-103 wind turbine is optimized for IEC TC III.
The changes were made to increase customer value while maintaining the proven performance and reliability of GE’s existing 2.5-megawatt wind turbine. These latest additions to the wind turbine fleet significantly expand GE’s ability to cover a broader range of wind conditions, yield the highest annual energy production in their class and build upon the success of GE’s 1.5-megawatt machine, the world’s most widely deployed wind turbine with 14,000 units now installed.
GE’s 2.5-megawatt series is globally available. GE’s 2.5 megawatt series wind turbines are being used at two of the world’s largest projects: CEZ Romania’s Fantanele and Cogealac wind farms which make up Europe’s largest onshore project and at Caithness Energy’s Sheperds Flats wind project under construction in Oregon—the largest wind farm ever built in the United States.
1The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) defines three classes of wind turbines for different wind regimes. Class I turbines are for sites with average speeds of more than 8.5 meters per second, while class III turbines are for wind speeds less than 7.5 meters per second and class II turbines are in between.