Newsletter September 2013 This newsletter should inform you about the latest developments of aerodyn Energiesysteme GmbH Dear customers and business friends In the six months since our last newsletter, development of the aeromaster 5.0 offshore turbine has pushed forward continuously. Our clients in China and South Korea have nearly finished workshop assembly of their prototypes. Installation of the prototypes is to be in the next three months. As a further development of the 1.0 and 1.5 MW turbine, aerodyn has conducted a study on the use of a direct drive permanent magnet generator. The result of this study shows a very attractive solution for future applications. Indeed, the study investigating a combination of the aeromaster offshore wind turbine with the very capable Voith Turbo variable speed hydrodynamic system shows an extremely interesting and competitive solution for very large offshore turbines. Another milestone in the development of highly innovative systems was the A-Design Assessment awarded for the SCD 3.0 MW turbine. The first wind farm with seventeen turbines has been erected and commissioned by a client in China. Final assembly of the prototype of the 6.0 MW SCD offshore turbine, the bigger sister of the 3.0 MW, has been completed in central China. Installation of this prototype is expected at the end of 2013. This two-bladed turbine has significant advantages regarding offshore transportation, installation and the cost of energy. In addition, special features are its design for typhoon conditions and installation of a helicopter landing platform. More good news is that aerodyn clients have installed approximately 33,500 MW up to the end of 2012, that is a market share of 11.5% of the total installation worldwide. We are still very optimistic about the future development of the global wind market and the offshore sector. We are sure that aerodyn will contribute to further technology developments in the future global wind market. Best regards, Sönke Siegfriedsen President Page 1 of 6
aeromaster 5.0 assembly progress The clients in China and Korea have made progress in their workshop assembly of the aeromaster 5.0MW prototype. It is very likely that workshop commissioning will be this autumn, followed by installation of the prototype in all probability this winter or at the latest in the spring of 2014. However, the schedule depends largely on how manufacturing of the rotor blades and the concrete foundation progresses. The aeromaster 5.0MW design is based on the proven design principles of the aeromaster turbine family with a double-bearing high-speed drive train concept. One unique feature of this turbine is the fact that the system can be operated at full power up to 40 C outside temperature. In normal offshore conditions, the electrical components like generator, converter and transformer will run at relatively low temperatures, giving these components increased durability and higher reliability. Canadian generator developer EXRO ordered direct drive study To be continued on page 3
Direct drive turbines with permanent magnet technology have become more attractive since rare earth prices have dropped to a reasonable level. The Canadian company Exro has developed direct drive generators for 1 MW and 1.5 MW turbines with a very compact design. Their goal was to develop a direct drive generator that fits into existing turbine designs with a high-speed drive train. aerodyn has been requested to investigate which design changes are required for an aeromaster 1.5MW turbine, and what cost can be expected if that turbine is upgraded to a direct drive model. The result of the study shows that integration into an existing design is possible with a limited amount of effort. Our economic analysis shows that while the investment cost is higher for the direct drive, the efficiency and availability is better and service expenditure may be lower. Thus, the direct drive version of the aeromaster 1.5 MW turbine shows promise of operating at a lower cost of energy than the traditional high-speed turbine model, and this holds true even based on the assumption that there will be no gearbox - or generator - failure during the turbine lifetime. In conclusion, the Exro solution may be attractive for turbine manufacturers with existing high-speed solutions who want to expand their product portfolio to include a direct drive solution within a short development period and with little engineering effort. There is also the option of providing their clients with a retrofit solution, but the economics for this is compelling only if it is assumed there will be at least one gearbox failure and one DFIG failure during the lifetime of the turbine. aerodyn is able to support the process for the design changes for both the turbine upgrade and for the development of a retrofit solution where appropriate. aerodyn has performed study about WinDrive for Voith Turbo Voith Turbo has developed WinDrive, a variable speed hydrodynamic system which has been running in 2 MW turbines since 2007. aerodyn was commissioned by Voith to check the effects of the use of WinDrive on aeromaster offshore turbines with 5 MW and 7.5 MW rated power. The outcome shows that the technology is competitive compared to conventional medium-voltage, full-converter drive solutions. The turbine material cost could be cut by up to 4.5% and the cost of energy is on the same level as that of conventional high-speed drive train concepts. The system shows attractive figures especially for a higher rated power (7.5 MW). Since some statistics show a significant number of failures in converter systems, the Voith system could be an alternative technology for offshore turbines with increased reliability. Further information at: http://www.voith.com/en/products-services/power-transmission/variable-speed-gearboxes-windrive-9747.html Page 3 of 6
SCD 3 MW now has A-design assessment aerodyn started to develop the innovative integrated turbine SCD 2.75 /3 MW in 2008. The very compact two-bladed turbine is one of the most innovative designs currently on the market. aerodyn participated in the design assigned by its sister company aerodyn engineering GmbH in Büdelsdorf. The technical concept and the detailed ideas as well as all patents which are related to that turbine came from aerodyn founder and president Sönke Siegfriedsen. The design won the HUSUM Wind Energy Technology Award in 2009. The first customer in China has already installed 19 turbines for intensive testing of the pre-series batch. We are happy to announce that the GL has now signed the A- Design Assessment. SCD 6 MW workshop assembly is finished Final assembly of the prototype of the 6 MW SCD turbine has been completed in Rudong at Ming Yang s production facilities. The 6 MW offshore turbine has the same integrated drive train concept as the 3 MW version of the SCD turbine. The major difference to the smaller SCD turbine is that the 6 MW SCD is a downwind turbine which has been designed for typhoon conditions in China s offshore locations. Especially for offshore, the main benefit of the two-bladed turbine is that the rotor can be installed in the turbine before shipping to the site and can be installed in only one lift action to the tower top. Page 4 of 6
aerodyn s clients installed 33500 MW up to end of 2012 Total installed MW end of 2012 (290000 MW) Sinovel: 5,0% Others: 10,9% Vestas: 19,6% Goldwind: 5,3% Siemens: 7, 0% GE: 12,8% Suzlon: 8,1% Gamesa: 9,6% Enercon: 10,1% aerodyn Design: 11,5% aerodyn has updated its internal company statistics with the help of BTM Wind Report World Market Update 2012. The data were crosschecked with the Chinese Wind Energy Association reports and data we received directly from our clients. With aerodyn design holding a market share of 11.5 %, aerodyn ranks third behind Vestas and GE. This is a little lower than the end of 2011 because the Chinese market has developed slower than in the years before. Rotor blade for 5 MW offshore turbine tested successfully The aerodynblade 5.0-68.0 has successfully passed the static blade test in Korea. The 68 m long rotor blade is to be used in aeromaster 5 MW offshore turbines and is designed for a rotor diameter of 139 m and type class 2B. The positive outcome of the blade test is a further milestone in the development of the aerodynblade family and the aeromaster 5MW wind turbine. In the test, the blade is subject to loads with maximum forces up to 80 tons, undergoing bending up to approx. 18 m in this process. The blade test was conducted by the Korean Institute KIMS on behalf of our client Hyosung. The blade was manufactured in China at the company of Aeolon. The test was supervised by the certifying company, Germanischer Lloyd Renewables Certification. Success of the test is due to the terrific cooperation between the companies involved. Page 5 of 6
Offshore wind farm Bard I inaugurated The German Federal Minister of Economics and Technology, Rösler, opened Germany s largest offshore wind farm Bard I on 26 August 2013. Newspapers reported the Minister said that this shows that technological challenges can be mastered. All of this is made in Germany and offers tremendous chances, said the Minister. Not only is the production made in Germany but also the turbine design is made in Germany, made by aerodyn. aerodyn at exhibitions and conferences aerodyn will attend with a booth at the following exhibitions this year: China Wind Power 2013 - Beijing, China 16-18 October 2013 Wind Power India 2013 Date is not fixed Imprint Publisher: aerodyn Energiesysteme GmbH Provianthausstraße 9 24758 Rendsburg, Germany phone: +49 (0) 4331 1275 0 fax: +49 (0) 4331 1275 55 email: info@aerodyn.de www.aerodyn.de Responsible for the content: Contact: Peter Krämer Published: every six months Layout: bartsch design GmbH Page 6 of 6