Enercon GmbH, based in Aurich, Lower Saxony, Germany, is the fourth-largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world and has been the market leader in Germany since the mid-nineties.
One of Enercon’s key innovations is the use of a gearless, direct drive mechanism, used in combination with an annular generator. This is in contrast to most other wind turbines, which use a gearbox in order to increase the rotation speed of the generator. Other differences in Enercon’s wind turbines are their distinctive drop-shaped generator housings (designed by Lord Norman Foster) and their towers, which are painted with green rings at the base to blend in with their surroundings.
At a particular location, the wind speed will vary about an annual mean value. The expected energy yields for the Enercon E40 at various annual wind speeds (AMWS) is shown below:
Model: |
ENERCON E-40 | |
Rated capacity: |
500 kW | |
Rotor diameter: |
40 m | |
Hub height: |
46/65/78 m (variety of towers and bases) | |
Converter concept: |
gearless, variable speed, variable blade pitch | |
Rotor with pitch control |
||
Type: |
upwind rotor with active pitch control | |
Direction of rotation: |
clockwise | |
Number of blades: |
3 | |
Swept area: |
1,276m2 | |
Blade material: |
fiberglass (reinforced epoxy) with integral lightning | |
protection | ||
Rotor speed: |
variable, 18 – 38/18 – 34 rpm | |
Tip speed: |
38 – 80/41 – 78 m/s | |
Pitch control: |
three synchronized blade pitch systems with | |
emergency supply | ||
Generator with drive train |
||
Hub: |
rigid | |
Main bearings: |
double-row tapered roller bearings | |
Generator: |
direct-driven ENERCON ring generator | |
Grid feeding: |
ENERCON inverter | |
Braking system: |
– 3 independent pitch control systems with | |
emergency supply | ||
– rotor brake | ||
– rotor lock for service and maintenance | ||
Yaw control: |
active through adjustment gear load-dependent | |
damping | ||
|
||
Cut-in wind speed: |
2,5 m/s | |
Rated wind speed: |
12,5 m/s | |
Cut-out wind speed: |
28 – 34m/s | |
Weight: |
Rotor – 2,700 kgs Nacelle (without rotor) – 23,200 kgs towers from 35,000 – 61,500 kgs. |
|
Remote monitoring system: |
ENERCON SCADA | |