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October 1, 2007 – Vol. 12 No.28 AMSC/TECO-Westinghouse Research Joint Venture Could Yield 10 Megawatt Offshore Wind Turbines. American Superconductor Corporation (AMSC) has teamed with TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company on a superconductor wind generator project. The research joint venture is to develop high temperature superconductor (HTS) and related technologies for high-power, direct drive wind generators for offshore wind farms. Direct drive wind generator systems, utilizing HTS wire instead of copper wire for the electrical generator’s rotor, are expected to be much smaller, lighter, provide more power and be more efficient than conventional generators and gearboxes, at about the same cost The high-output, direct drive turbines will result in lower costs for offshore wind generated electricity. AMSC and TWMC estimate that they could produce 10 MW class direct drive generator systems that would weigh approximately 120 metric tons, or about one-third the weight of conventional direct drive generators with this power rating. Technically, weight reductions could be greater, albeit at a higher cost, giving wind energy system manufacturers and developers new options to design and deploy cost-effective offshore wind farms. The targeted ultra-low-speed, high torque generators are expected to produce full power at 6 kilovolts at 11 revolutions per minute. Wind generators up to 5 MW are now commercially available, but higher output turbines have been limited by the physical size of the generator and well as cost. High output turbines could mean more generating capacity from a project of a given number or turbines, or the same project output with fewer turbines. For example the proposed 468 megawatt, 130, 3.6-megawatt turbine Cape Wind project for waters off Cape, Massachusetts could have the same power rating with only 47, 10-megawatt turbines. Fewer turbines planted far from shore might be more palatable for still resisting oceanfront property owners. National Institute of Science and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is providing $3.4 million in funding toward the $6.8 million, 30-month research project to be conducted under the joint venture. (10/1/07)
Links: National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) http://www.nist.gov TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company http://www.tecowestinghouse.com American Superconductor Corporation http://www.amsc.com
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