GE Wind Energy

GE Wind Energy is a branch of GE Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of General Electric. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2018, GE was the fourth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world.[1]

GE Wind Energy
TypeDivision
IndustryWind power
PredecessorZond
Founded1980 (1980)
FounderJames Dehlsen
HeadquartersFairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Jérôme Pécresse (CEO of GE Renewable Energy)
  • Pete McCabe (CEO of Onshore Wind)
  • John B. Lavelle (CEO of Offshore Wind)
ProductsWind turbines, sale and services of wind farms
RevenueUS$10.4 billion (2020 Onshore Wind)
OwnerGeneral Electric
ParentGE Renewable Energy
Websitehttps://www.ge.com/renewableenergy/wind-energy/
Footnotes / references

History

Enron Wind acquisition era (2002-2015)

The entity was created as developer (not manufacturer) Zond in 1980 by James G.P. Dehlsen, who also formed Clipper Windpower in 2001. Enron acquired Zond and the German manufacturer Tacke Windtechnik in 1997.

In 2002, while gas turbine sales were declining,[2] GE acquired the Enron Wind, the only surviving US manufacturer of large wind turbines at the time, during the bankruptcy proceedings of its parent, Enron. GE increased engineering and support for the Wind Division and doubled its annual sales to $1.2B in 2003.

By acquiring Zond, GE gained a very important patent for variable-speed systems (US 5083039),[3][4] which had a major impact on the North American market. Enron had continued production of the 1 MW and 1.5 MW wind turbines of Tacke Windtechnik and GE has expanded production in Germany.

GE acquired ScanWind in 2009,[5] and in 2011 Wind Tower Systems LLC, a manufacturer of space frame wind turbine towers.[6]

Growth and acquisitions (2015-)

After the acquisition of Alstom's energy generating assets (2015) GE's wind portfolio was expanded to include the 6-megawatt 'Haliade' offshore turbine (at that time one of the world's most powerful turbines) from Alstom Wind. This became GE Wind (offshore). The same year, GE added Blade Dynamics Ltd., a designer and manufacturer of modular wind turbine blades with principal facilities on the Isle of Wight and in Southampton.

GE acquired LM Wind Power from Doughty Hanson & Co for an enterprise value of €1.5 billion in April 2017.[7]

Products

GE Wind Turbines
Product name Power rating (MW) Rotor diameter (m) Hub height (m) IEC Wind Class
GE 1.5se[8] 1.5 70.5 54.7
GE 1.5sle[9] 1.5 77 61.4
GE 1.5xle[10] 1.5 82.5 59
GE 1.x-82.5[11] 1.6 82.5 121.25 IIs
GE 1.x-87[12] 1.85 87 80 IIs
GE 2.5xl[13] 2.5 100 85 IIb
GE 1.x-100/103 1.6–1.7 100/103 80, 96 IIIs
GE 3.x-103 2.5–3.2 103 98, 75, 85 IIb
GE 3.x-137 3.2–3.8 137 110–164 III
GE 3.x-130 3.2–3.8 130 85–164 II
GE 2.x-116 2.0–2.5 116 80, 90, 94 IIs/IIIs
GE 2.x-120 2.5–2.75 120 85, 110, 120, 139 IIIs, DiBT WZII
GE 2.x-127 2.2–2.5 127 89 IIs/IIIs
GE 4.2-117[14] (Typhoon class) 4.2 117
GE 4.8-158[15] 4.8 158 101, 120.9, 149, 161 s
ECO 80[16] 1.67–2 80 70–80
ECO 86 1.67 86 80
ECO 100 3.0 100 75, 90, 100
ECO 110 3.0 110 75, 90, 100
ECO 122 2.7–3.0 122 89, 119, 139
GE 3.6sl (offshore)[17] 3.6 111
GE 4.1-113 (offshore) 4.1 113 Ib
GE Haliade 150-6 (offshore)[18] 6 150 110 or site-specific Ib
GE Haliade-X (offshore)[19][20] 12 220 up to 150 Ib
GE Haliade-X 13MW (offshore)[21] 13 220 138
GE Haliade-X 14MW (offshore)[22] 14 220
GE 1.5-megawatt Wind Turbine

GE onshore wind turbines

The GE platform began development with the creation of the 1.5-megawatt series of wind turbines that were developed with the cooperation of the United States Department of Energy.[23] It consisted of three fibreglass blades attached to a horizontal axis hub. The hub is connected to the main shaft that turns a multi-stage system of gears. The gears increase the rotational rate and send the kinetic energy obtained from the wind to a doubly-fed electric machine, where it is converted into electrical energy. The angle of the blades and the direction that the turbine faces are controlled by an active, all- electric pitch and yaw system. The generator and gearbox are contained in the nacelle, which is further insulated to minimize noise emissions.

Several optional features support its presence in electrical grids, including voltage regulation, low voltage ride through, and the delivery of reactive power during grid disturbances or periods of low wind.

To further wind power research, a unit was commissioned at the National Wind Technology Center in late 2009. Its 10,000 installations in the US at the time constituted 50% of the national commercial wind energy fleet, influencing the NREL's decision to install a model at the Center.

The next evolution, the 2.5XL, used a permanent magnet generator, and its entire output was converted to AC at mains frequency. The platform was then moved back to the use of a doubly-fed generator and rotor converter, similar to the 1.5 series.

As of 2022, GE had over 40,000 turbines installed across the globe.[24]

GE offshore wind turbines

The offshore GE 3.6 SL model was installed in 2003 at the Arklow Bank Wind Park in Ireland.[25]

In the early 2010s GE cancelled its development of a 4.1-megawatt offshore wind turbine. The only example built, owned by Goteborg Energi, was erected in Goteborg, Sweden, in 2011.

Following the purchase of the Ecotècnia by Alstom and the acquisition of Alstom by General Electric, production started in 2016 at the St. Nazaire factory in France for the 6-megawatt Haliade offshore turbine, featuring a permanent magnet design. This unit started an extended test period in Spring 2016 at Østerild Wind Turbine Test Field.

Haliade-X prototype, 12MW. (Rotterdam, 2020)

The Haliade-X was certified for typhoons in 2021.[26] using a prototype in Rotterdam. GE and Hyundai agreed to build a Haliade-X factory in South Korea.[27]

Key projects

The 845-megawatt Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon is the first windpark in the United States to utilize permanent magnet design in its primary wind turbine.

Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm in Romania, constructed in 2008, uses 240 GE 2.5xl wind turbines capable of generating a total of 600 MW, powering a million Romanian households each year.[28]

The offshore GE 3.6 SL model was installed at the Arklow Bank Wind Park.

Through the provision of 179 GE 3.6-137 turbines to Markbygden Wind Farm in Sweden, GE will create the largest single onshore wind installation in Europe. Norsk Hydro will purchase the power via a 19-year fixed volume corporate PPA; understood to be the largest corporate wind energy PPA in the world.[29]

In April 2018, General Electric announced that it will begin testing the world's largest wind turbine – the Haliade-X – at its facilities in Blyth, England. General Electric's renewable energy department signed a five-year contract with the British government-funded Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to begin trials of the 12-megawatt turbine.[30] A prototype was installed at Port of Rotterdam, producing 288 MWh in 24 hours in February 2020,[31] and a 14 MW prototype started there in October 2021.[32]

Plans in September 2020 called for a new upgraded version of 13 MW GE Haliade-X turbine to be installed at Dogger Bank Wind Farm by 2023,[33][34][35] and DNV-certified in late 2022.[36]

See also

References
  1. "Vestas Leads Break-Away Group of Big Four Turbine Makers". BloombergNEF. February 14, 2019. Retrieved 2019-11-21.
  2. "G.E. to Buy Enron Wind-Turbine Assets". New York Times. 12 April 2002. Archived from the original on 15 September 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. "Battle lines are drawn: the fight over IP rights - World Wind Technology". www.windpower-international.com. 22 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 February 2021.
  4. "Variable speed wind turbine (US 5083039 A)" (PDF).
  5. "GE boosts offshore wind with acquisition". CNET. 2009-09-14. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  6. "GE Acquires Tall Turbine Tech From Wind Tower Systems – TechCrunch". techcrunch.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  7. "GE Completes Acquisition of LM Wind Power". GE Newsroom. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  8. "GE Energy 1.5se - Manufacturers and turbines - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  9. "GE Energy 1.5sle - Manufacturers and turbines - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  10. "GE Energy 1.5xle - Manufacturers and turbines - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  11. "GE General Electric GE 1.6-82.5 - 1,60 MW - Wind turbine". en.wind-turbine-models.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  12. "GE General Electric GE 1.85 - 87 - 1,85 MW - Wind turbine". en.wind-turbine-models.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  13. "General Electric – 2.5 MW Series". ESIG. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  14. "Riders On The Storm: GE Is Building A Wind Turbine That Can Weather Violent Typhoons, Hurricanes - GE Reports". GE Reports. 2018-06-17. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  15. "4.8-158 Onshore Wind Turbine | GE Renewable Energy". www.ge.com. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  16. Bauer, Lucas. "Wind turbines database". en.wind-turbine-models.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  17. "GE Energy 3.6sl - Manufacturers and turbines - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  18. Bauer, Lucas. "Alstom Haliade 150 - 6,00 MW - Wind turbine". en.wind-turbine-models.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  19. "World's Largest Offshore Wind Turbine | Haliade-X | GE Renewable Energy". www.ge.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-11. Retrieved 2018-06-27.
  20. Vries, Eize de (1 May 2020). "WindTech: Digital 15MW turbine offers help in scaling up". www.windpowermonthly.com. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020.
  21. "GE Renewable Energy launches the uprated Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbine for the UK's Dogger Bank Wind Farm September 21, 2020". GE. General Electric. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  22. "GE Renewable Energy's Haliade-X prototype starts operating at 14 MW". GE. 5 October 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  23. "Wind and Water Power Program: Large Wind Technology". 2010-07-12. Archived from the original on 2010-07-12. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  24. Sofia (2022-07-29). "GE Wind Turbines". Lindy Energy. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
  25. "Arklow Bank (Ireland) - Wind farms - Online access - The Wind Power". www.thewindpower.net. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  26. "GE's Haliade-X receives typhoon certification from DNV". www.windtech-international.com. 7 May 2021.
  27. "Hyundai Electric to build factory to produce Haliade-X offshore wind turbine". Riviera.
  28. "GE says 600 MW Fantanele-Cogealac wind farm in Romania fully operational". Renewablesnow.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  29. "GE and Green Investment Group to Deliver 650 MW of Onshore Wind to Sweden". GE Newsroom. 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  30. "General Electric to debut world's largest wind turbine in UK" Inhabitat, April 24, 2018
  31. Vorrath, Sophie (7 February 2020). "World's largest offshore wind turbine clocks new 24-hour generation record". RenewEconomy.
  32. Radowitz, Bernd (5 October 2021). "'First turbine to run at 14MW': GE steps-up power rating at Haliade-X offshore prototype | Recharge". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news.
  33. "GE's Haliade-X 13-MW giant picked for Dogger Bank offshore wind farm". Renewablesnow.com. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  34. Ltd, Renews (2020-09-22). "13MW Haliade-X confirmed for Dogger Bank A and B". reNEWS - Renewable Energy News. Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  35. "GE Renewable Energy launches the uprated Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbine for the UK's Dogger Bank Wind Farm | REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world". Retrieved 2020-09-22.
  36. "GE's Haliade-X 14.7MW-220 obtains full DNV type certificate". Riviera.
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