16 April 2012

The Gamesa G114.2.0MW Class IIIA, set to be unveiled at EWEA 2012 in Copenhagen next week, has reduced power density, allowing it to achieve maximum returns from low-wind sites.

The Spanish firm said it would be targeting emerging markets with the model, including India, Brazil and Chinese provinces close to large consumption areas such as Beijing and Shanghai.

However, it said there is also a market for the turbine in as-yet unexploited low-wind sites in Europe and the United States.

Gamesa will begin manufacturing initial prototypes of the G114 in the third quarter of 2013, with the first supply of turbines to begin at the end of the same year. From 2014, the company will start manufacturing market-ready series in all of the regions in which it has a manufacturing presence.

The turbine is modelled on Gamesa’s other 2MW turbine, the G97, but with 38% increase in swept area and a 20% increase in annual energy output, the company said. The G114 features a 114-metre diameter rotor with a swept area of 10,207 m², while the technology used on the 55.5m blade increases energy output whilst reducing noise.

Juan Diego Diaz, Gamesa's marketing director, said: “Our customers need to make the best use of the energy potential offered by low-wind sites, and thus require a turbine that can get maximum energy with a low investment cost. The G114-2.0 MW turbine is based on the same technology used in the G97-2.0 MW, but with some elements optimized and reinforced.”

The machine offers a range of tower height options, from 93m to 140m or higher depending on the target location – however the company said it expected the 120m tower to be the most popular.

Developed as part of Gamesa’s programme to bring down the cost of energy in its Class III products, the company said it wanted the new model’s low power density to become a “benchmark for the industry”.

