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Siemens:
First two 6-MW wind turbines
successfully installed off the British coast

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Today, offshore wind power is already a well established component of the power supply mix in northern Europe. There are open areas off the coasts here with excellent wind conditions offering enormous potential. Wind turbines with a generating capacity of 4.3 gigawatts are already installed in this region. In order to further reduce the costs for offshore wind power, innovations and industrialization are vital. Siemens has designed the gearless wind turbine with a capacity of six megawatts especially for offshore deployment. (Left: Siemens press picture)

The installation of the first two 6 megawatt wind turbines in the offshore wind power plant Gunfleet Sands III with the specially designed installation vessel SEA INSTALLER marks an important milestone for Siemens. The company is in the vanguard in the field of offshore wind turbine technology and has also played a pioneering role in the challenging area of offshore installation of wind turbines. Its purpose in all these endeavors is to further reduce the costs of wind energy and so enable wind power to compete with traditional energy sources. Apart from innovations such as the new gearless six-megawatt wind turbine, another important leverage factor is the systematic industrialization of offshore logistics. 

SEA INSTALLER has installed first Siemens six megawatt wind turbines offshore

Since 2010, the company has also held a 49 percent stake in A2SEA which provides services for the construction of offshore wind power plants. A2SEA, in which DONG Energy holds the remaining shares, has now deployed a new generation of offshore installation vessels for the first time off the British coast. Together with its partner DONG Energy, Siemens has at the same time pulled off a double pioneering feat: with the very first deployment of the new installation vessel, two Siemens wind turbines of the six-megawatt class complete with rotor star were installed in the record time of under 24 hours each in the offshore demonstration project Gunfleet Sands III. 

Siemens is in the vanguard in the field of offshore wind turbine technology. Over the past 20 years the company has installed nearly 1,000 wind turbines with a total generating capacity of about 3,000 megawatts at offshore sites. In addition, Siemens has also played a pioneering role in the challenging area of offshore installation of wind turbines. Its purpose in all these endeavors is to further reduce the costs of wind energy and so enable wind power to compete with traditional energy sources. Apart from innovations such as the new gearless six-megawatt wind turbine, another important leverage factor is the systematic industrialization of offshore logistics. The installation of the first two 6-MW wind turbines off the British coast with the specially designed installation vessel SEA INSTALLER marks an important milestone for Siemens. 

Source: Siemens AG, Energy Sector, www.siemens.com
Eva-Maria Baumann, Meike Wulfers 
30.01.2013

 Siemens press picture gallery: 

Made to measure: Offshore installation vesse SEA INSTALLER: Siemens has taken a stake in A2SEA in order to further promote the industrialization of offshore logistics. The SEA INSTALLER is purpose designed and built for the transport and installation of large wind turbines.

Equipped with Siemens technology: Siemens is also supplied here, with equipment including automation and drive systems as well as main generators and distribution transformers from Siemens installed on board.

Core component of the wind turbine: the nacelle is loaded. This central component is approximately 15 meters long and has a diameter of about 6.5 meters. This wind turbine designed specifically for offshore service is based on the Siemens gearless concept ... 50 percent fewer components ... smaller number of rotating parts ... reduce service costs and weight.

The complete rotor is carefully raised onto a special steel structure on the installation vessel and secured for crossing.

DONG Energy's demonstration project Gunfleet Sands III:  The Siemens team installed the latest wind turbine generation at sea in less than 24 hours which is a record time.

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