Gamesa installs 5-MW onshore wind turbine prototype

Wind turbine manufacturer Gamesa (Zamudio, Vizcaya, Spain) reported March 28 that it has completed the installation of the first prototype of its G128­5.0MW onshore turbine at its research and development facility in Alaiz (Navarra, Spain). The end of the assembly process triggers the start of the process of certifying the new turbine, slated for completion during the last quarter of this year.

A single G128­5.0 MW turbine will generate enough power in one year to supply some 5,000 households. Two turbines will be sufficient to power a town of about 35,000 people.

The plan is to install these turbines for the first time in a commercial wind farm in Salo, Finland, where the company will supply three units of the G128­5.0 MW low­-temperature model to TuuliWatti this year. Gamesa will also operate and maintain (O&M) this facility for 10 years.

The G128­5.0 MW wind turbine prototype has a rotor diameter of 128m/420 ft and a total height of 184m/604 ft. The turbine is lightweight, which reduces the cost of related wind farm civil engineering work. Gamesa says its modular and redundant design ensures reliability and maximises energy output, thereby lowering the cost of energy while complying with the most stringent grid­ connection codes and environmental standards.

The 5-MW platform is said to be one of the most powerful in the onshore market and positions Gamesa as one of the leading technology suppliers in the multi-­megawatt segment.