Siemens Gamesa’s Flagship Prototype Offshore Wind Turbine Starts Taking Shape

Siemens Gamesa has started installing the SG 14-222 DD prototype offshore wind turbine at the test centre in Østerild, Denmark.

The wind turbine’s tower has now been erected at the site, Siemens Gamesa said.

Upon completion, the prototype unit will become the most powerful wind turbine installed in the world, surpassing GE’s 13 MW Haliade-X prototype operating in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The SG 14-222 DD turbine model has a 14 MW capacity, reaching up to 15 MW using the company’s Power Boost function. The model features a 222-metre diameter rotor, 108-metre blades, and a 39,000 m2 swept area.

The turbine prototype is expected to be ready in 2021, and the model will be commercially available in 2024, according to Siemens Gamesa.

The 14 MW capacity allows one SG 14-222 DD machine to provide enough energy to power approximately 18,000 average European households every year. Approximately 30 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines could furthermore cover the annual electricity consumption of Bilbao, Spain, the company said.

The 222-metre diameter rotor uses the new Siemens Gamesa B108 blades. Each 108-metre IntegralBlade® is cast in one piece using patented Siemens Gamesa blade technologies.

Additionally, the turbine’s 39,000 m2 swept area is equivalent to approximately 5.5 standard football pitches. It allows the SG 14-222 DD to provide an increase of more than 25 per cent in Annual Energy Production compared to the SG 11.0-200 DD offshore wind turbine, Siemens Gamesa said.

Furthermore, the new offshore giant features a low nacelle weight at 500 metric tons. This light weight is said to enable Siemens Gamesa to safely utilize an optimized tower and foundation substructure compared to a heavier nacelle. Benefits thus arise in the form of lower costs per turbine by minimizing sourced materials and reducing transportation needs, the company said.

Back in March, Siemens Gamesa received the first firm order for the SG 14-222 DD from RWE for the 1.4 GW Sofia wind farm offshore the UK.

Siemens Gamesa has also signed preferred supplier agreements to deliver the new turbine to the 300 MW Hai Long 2 project in Taiwan and the 2.6 GW Dominion Energy Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind (CVOW) commercial project in the US.