Gamesa, a wind energy company, continues to advance its offshore wind strategy, having signed an agreement to supply energy company E.ON with an offshore prototype of its G11X-5.0 MW platform in 2012.
The agreement also includes the installation of one, and possibly two, Gamesa G128-4.5 MW wind turbine(s) for an E.ON site in Europe. Gamesa will undertake the transport, installation and commissioning of the turbine(s) in 2012.
Gamesa will also install G9X-2.0 MW wind turbines in a wind farm under construction in Alcamo – Sicily (Italy) for more than 30 MW. Gamesa will undertake the transport, installation and commissioning in 2011.
Support for Gamesa's offshore technology
Gamesa is currently designing and developing two families of offshore turbines (G11X-5.0, and G14X with a capacity of 6-7 MW) based on proven technology that was validated in the G10X-4.5 MW turbine. Prototypes of the G11X-5.0 MW platform will be tested in the last quarter of 2012, and the pre-series will be ready in 2013.
Javier Perea, General Manager of Sales and Projects for Gamesa: "This agreement with E.ON represents significant support for our offshore technology. The ability to test our offshore wind prototypes will provide us with a solid basis for advancing towards the final development of our offshore platforms.
" Michael Lewis, Managing Director of E.ON’s European Renewables business: "Gamesa shows a strong commitment to the offshore market, and this agreement will enable us to analyse and test a prototype which, though new, is based on technology currently tested on the G10X-4.5 prototype machine. It will also help us to continue our drive to stimulate innovation in the offshore market".
Gamesa is developing the G11X-5.0 MW turbine platform together with the Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading US defence contractor and America's largest shipbuilder. Gamesa is also developing a generation of larger capacity offshore turbines, specifically the G14X (6-7 MW per unit); the pre-series could be ready in 2014.
G128-4.5 MW: validated technological innovation
Gamesa's G128-4.5 MW is the most powerful turbine in the global onshore wind market and it incorporates unprecedented new technological features, based on design and validation concepts which are comparable to other industries such as aeronautics: Innoblade®, Multismart®, ConcreTower®, CompacTrain®, FlexiFit® and GridMate®, among others.
With a rated capacity of 4.5 MW, this model has an optimized cost of energy but is as easy to ship and install as a 2 MW turbine.