Gamesa, NREL Collaborate on Wind Turbine R&D Project

January 27, 2012 – Vol.16 No.45

Gamesa, NREL Collaborate on Wind Turbine R&D Project.

Wind energy leader Gamesa Technology Corporation, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are teaming up to study and test a variety of components and systems that will guide development of the next generation of wind turbines designed specifically for the U.S. marketplace.

The public-private partnership will bring to the forefront new innovations that will enhance the capabilities and performance of advanced wind systems in tapping the vast potential of this renewable energy resource and ultimately bring the nation closer to 20 percent wind energy by 2030.

Gamesa and NREL will collaborate on work in three key areas: developing new wind turbine components and rotors for the U.S. market; researching and testing the performance of new control strategies; and devising models that will help advance the development of offshore wind in U.S. coastal waters.

“Wind energy is going to continue to play a key role in creating a stronger and more sustainable American economy,” said Dr. Miguel Angel Gonzalez-Posada, Vice President of Technology for Gamesa North America. “This partnership is an exciting venture that showcases Gamesa’s commitment to enhanced clean energy development, as well as our drive to deliver the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective wind turbine technologies to the U.S. marketplace.”

Gamesa, a world leader in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind turbine generators and the development and sale of wind farms, already has installed and commissioned a G97 Class IIIA 2.0 MW test wind turbine at NREL’s National Wind Technology Center near Boulder, Colorado. NREL’s wind technology center is the most extensive wind-turbine testing facility in the nation.

“We are pleased to have Gamesa working with NREL as an R&D partner,” Dana Christensen, NREL’s Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Technology, said. “These types of collaborations demonstrate a commitment to crucial technology development and the public-private partnerships necessary to ensure the continued momentum of the wind power industry. Our role with the Department of Energy is to help reduce technical risks and thereby help accelerate next generation technology into the marketplace. NREL is proud to be at the forefront of this important work.”

Since being introduced last year, Gamesa’s G9X-2.0 MW turbine platform has gained recognition for its cutting-edge blade design, updated nacelle, enhanced control systems and other features that increase energy output substantially. The G97 Class IIIA 2.0 MW model, which will serve as the test platform with NREL, is designed specifically for low-wind sites, a segment from which Gamesa expects over half of all future on-shore demand.

Using Gamesa’s turbine platform as a laboratory, researchers will study the behavior of systems and how new designs, products or equipment can affect performance.

Product Development:

Chief among the goals of this research-and-development project is the design of new products specifically for the U.S. market, with a sharp focus on interior and exterior components as well as the rotors themselves. For instance, researchers will examine how bigger rotors, as well as blade aerodynamics and some other features, can be altered to maximize annual energy production. Turbine tests will measure and validate the outcome of the research, looking at power performance, power quality and acoustics to minimize noise levels.

Gamesa and NREL also will work to design and test new lightning protection and other turbine conditioning systems, examining their performances in a range of temperatures at high altitude to ensure that they will function in any U.S. environment. New converter technologies will be used to test ways to increase energy output while enhancing component reliability. Extensive tests also will be conducted on other turbine key components, examining motion, temperatures, stresses and vibration levels, where the findings could lead to improvements that enhance the reliability of future U.S. installations.

Control Strategies:

Gamesa and NREL also will work to develop new control strategies that improve energy capture while decreasing loads, which will be accomplished through development of new breakthrough algorithms. New control strategies will be tested extensively throughout the turbine. Testing will include measurement of aerodynamic loads, the response of blade profiles and pitch actuation. Output will be measured throughout to determine how changes affect power output and its fluctuations, and what the effects are on structural loads and the drive train response.

Offshore Wind:

NREL and Gamesa will conduct a round-robin exercise using existing turbine modeling software to develop new methods that will enable companies to predict the behavior of offshore wind turbines, as well as the potential sensitivity of equipment to the offshore environment. NREL and Gamesa will examine factors such as wind speed distribution, turbulence intensity and wind shear, waves, tides, currents, temperature, lightning and ice formation, and how these factors correlate with performance and the potential cost for the design, operation and maintenance of offshore wind systems.

“This research project will examine every aspect of the turbine, from its base to the blade tip at its apex, along with all the parts that make it turn,” Gonzalez-Posada said. “We’re confident that the work we do here will help us grow our leadership position of being the provider of the most effective, efficient and reliable wind turbines for use in the United States and globally as well.”

Full project testing on the entire slate of programs is set to begin this month. The core provisions of the public-private partnership run through 2013, with options for two additional years of collaboration.

NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.

Gamesa Technology Corporation is a global leader in the design and manufacture of wind turbines and the development, construction and sale of wind farm (1/27/12)

Links:

Gamesa Technology Corporation
http://www.gamesacorp.com/en

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
http://www.nrel.gov

--- Gamesa and enXco Announce Operation of the 38 MW Chestnut Flats Wind Farm.

--- Gamesa Ships 1000th Nacelle from its Pennsylvania Plant.

Disclaimer, Forward-Looking or Safe Harbor Statement on original press release: No