GE Renewable Energy Launches Cypress Onshore Wind Platform, Designed to Grow, Adapt, Thrive and Lower the Cost of Electricity for Customers
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Cypress advances proven technology from GE’s 2MW and 3MW platforms
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5.3-158 produces over 20GWh per year
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Latest Cypress turbine – 5.3-158 – offers 50 percent increase in
Annual Energy Production (AEP) over life of the turbine vs 3MW platform
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5.3-158 can provide power for the equivalent of 5,200 European
residential homes
GE Renewable Energy (NYSE:GE) today launched its new onshore turbine
platform, named Cypress, and the next model from that platform, GE’s
5.3-158 turbine. The platform advances the proven technology of GE’s 2MW
and 3MW fleets, which serves an installed base of nearly 20GW, while
also utilizing architecture and innovations from the 4.8-158 turbine
introduced in 2017. Cypress enables significant AEP improvements,
increased efficiency in serviceability, improved logistics and siting
potential, and ultimately more value for customers. It is designed to
scale over time, enabling GE to offer a wider array of power ratings and
hub heights to meet customer needs throughout the 5MW range. The
platform also offers up to a 50 percent increase in AEP over the life of
the platform versus GE’s 3MW turbines. It is the second major technology
platform launch of the year for GE, which introduced the Haliade-X
offshore turbine platform in March.
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Cypress enables significant AEP improvements, increased efficiency in serviceability, improved logistics and siting potential, and ultimately more value for customers. (Photo: Business Wire)
The Cypress platform, which also includes the 4.8-158, will be powered
by a revolutionary two-piece blade design, enabling blades to be
manufactured at even longer lengths and improving logistics to offer
more siting options. Longer blades improve AEP and help drive down the
Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and the proprietary design will
allow these larger turbines to be installed in locations that were
previously inaccessible. It significantly drives down logistical costs,
by enabling blade assembly onsite and reducing the costs for permitting
equipment and road work required for transporting longer blades. Equally
importantly, it features blade tips that offer customers greater
flexibility to address site wind conditions and requirements.
The high-tech carbon blades were developed through the longtime
partnership between GE’s Onshore Wind business, GE’s Global Research
Center and GE’s LM Wind Power, taking advantage of the research, design
and large-scale manufacturing expertise of these teams to bring the
blades from concept to a tested and proven reality.
The Cypress platform, designed for IEC (S) wind speeds, leverages the
best of GE's 2MW and 3MW turbines – including the proven DFIG-doubly-fed
induction generator – and a robust drivetrain architecture. The machine
is specifically designed for services, with enhancements to help with
facilitating up-tower repairs and troubleshooting with its up-tower
electrical system, while also pushing the limits of traditional
reliability levels on major components, through increased systems level
hardware testing and more robust manufacturing processes. This
combination of planned, condition-based and predictive services will
help to ensure more reliability, uptime and production while ultimately
lowering lifecycle costs for the customer.
Pete McCabe, CEO of GE’s Onshore Wind business said, “Our mission is to
enable our customers to set the pace for lowering the LCOE around the
world, as their needs continue to evolve. The Cypress platform builds on
our track record of success and positions our technology for scalability
and flexibility for the coming years. The prototype Cypress 4.8-158 is
currently under production at our Salzbergen, Germany facility and we
are looking forward to deploying and commissioning it by the end of the
year. This platform, which reflects our relentless focus on quality,
will enable our customers to achieve a new level of competitiveness in
the power generation marketplace.”
Duncan Berry, CEO of GE’s LM Wind Power said, “This exciting blade
enhancement is revolutionizing the offerings that we can provide for
GE’s customers. Our team used a disruptive design methodology and
customer feedback to re-examine our entire design and manufacturing
process. By looking at this blade in an entirely new way, we achieved a
technology breakthrough that will allow us to bring the new blades to
market even faster for our customers.”
About GE Renewable Energy
GE Renewable Energy is a $10 billion business with a start-up mindset,
bringing together one of the broadest energy products and digital
services portfolios in the renewable energy industry. Combining onshore
and offshore wind, blades, hydro and innovative technologies such as
hybrid systems and concentrated solar power, GE Renewable Energy has
installed more than 400+ gigawatts capacity globally to make the world
work better and cleaner. With more than 22,000 employees present in more
than 80 countries, GE Renewable Energy is working on new ways to power
the world’s biggest economies and most remote communities.
Follow us at www.ge.com/renewableenergy
or on twitter @GErenewables
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