TÜV SÜD Certifies REpower’s 6.2M152 Offshore Wind Turbine

International provider of testing and certification services TÜV SÜD has been commissioned by REpower Systems SE, Hamburg, to carry out type certification of its new offshore turbine REpower 6.2M152.

For wind turbine type certification, TÜV SÜD’s experts examine and assess the overall design and all key components of the wind turbine. TÜV SÜD’s certification of the REpower 6.2M152 wind turbine is a significant contribution to cost-effectiveness and quality assurance, confirming that the design, performance and production processes of the wind turbine are in conformity with the standard.

REpower is one of the leading manufacturers of wind turbines and has built over 100 multi-megawatt offshore wind turbines to date. The latest wind turbine, the REpower 6.2M152, is an advanced version of the operationally-proven wind turbine design REpower 6.2M126. The wind turbine, with a rated power of 6.15 MW and rotor diameter of 152 metres, will be installed offshore with hub heights of between 95 and 110 metres. Due to its larger rotor diameter, its energy yield will be up to 20 per cent higher than that of the REpower 6.2M126.

Type certification of REpower 6.2M152

To ensure project profitability, investors, project planners and wind farm owners worldwide rely on wind turbines that have been certified in accordance with international standards, such as the IEC 61400-22, or national regulations such as the type approval standard of the Deutsche Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) in Germany. Type certification is recognised worldwide and normally marks the first milestone in the project certification process. It is generally one of the criteria that must be fulfilled to participate in tendering for international wind power projects.

“Within the scope of type certification, we verify that the design of the wind turbine is in compliance with the recognised technological and engineering standards,” says Dr Marion Rauch, Project Manager Type Certification at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. To do so, the experts first examine the technical documentation and test individual components on the test rig. In the next step, they carry out factory inspections and production control for individual components and measure turbine performance on a prototype, in this case of the REpower 6.2M152.

The prototype, with a hub height of 124 metres, will soon be installed at a test site just off the coast of Northern Germany. For this prototype, the manufacturer applied not only for type certification, but also for type approval in accordance with the 2012 DIBt standard that is based on the German construction law. Completion of the type certification procedure, the subsequent launch on the market and the start of mass production are scheduled for 2015.

“This work for REpower on their latest offshore turbine marks a further milestone in the development of TÜV SÜD‘s offshore activities,” said Dr Martin Webhofer, Head of Wind Energy at TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH. The TÜV SÜD offshore team in Hamburg is already actively engaged in providing support to clients on the design, certification, construction and operation of their offshore wind farm and associated infrastructure projects.

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Press release, January 17, 2014; Image: TÜV SÜD