The measurements required for the certification were conducted on a Repower MM82 with a rated power of 2.05 megawatts, located at the Dollerup wind farm near Flensburg. Dr. Uwe Jönck, Germanischer Lloyd (GL), department Engineering and Safety Technology, handed over the certificate yesterday to the Head of Development at REpower, Peter Quell, in the presence of Thomas Jensen and Hans Heinrich Paulsen, the Managing Directors of the civic wind farm. “The unit certification for the wind turbine REpower MM82 is one of the first which has been issued by us under the new ordinance SDLWindV”, says Dr. Jönck.
In order to obtain the certification, simulation models for the characteristics of the wind turbine on the grid needed to be further developed and then validated by comprehensive tests in real operation. Matthias Schubert, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of REpower Systems AG, emphasizes the importance of the unit certificate for the company’s business on the German market: “With this certificate, we demonstrate, to our customers as well, our capability in matters of grid conformity. Our wind turbines serve to stabilize the grid even during critical disruptions. Of course, this certificate is very important for our German business– but also for our activities in the international markets, where similarly demanding requirements apply, such as in Australia or Great Britain, for example.” He continues: “We are proud that our grid technology and the associated simulation models have proven themselves in practice and have now been confirmed by an independent agency – and of course we are pleased that we are one of the first companies to receive the certification.”
The CTO emphasizes how important it is to have a good working relationship with the operators, in order to maintain test locations in Schleswig-Holstein – in the vicinity of the REpower TechCenter – in the future. The operators of the Dollerup wind farm, which consists of two REpower MM82 wind turbines, each with a hub height of 59 meters and a Converteam converter, are Dolleruper Bürgerwindpark GmbH & Co. KG and Jensen & Falke, Windpark Dollerup GmbH & Co.KG.
The unit certificate is required for new generator systems in conformance with the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) and the System Service Ordinance (SDLWindV) which went into effect last year. Both regulations establish wideranging technical and operational requirements for wind turbines. The unit certificate demonstrates that the wind turbine type installed in Dollerup fulfills the criteria of the SDLWindV in terms of a generation unit. Schubert: “At the same time, we are carrying out pilot projects in order to provide support for the necessary expert opinions as well. It is important to us that we clarify open issues in a timely manner and do not leave the customers on their own even with regard to conducting certification at the level of the wind farm.”
In the coming weeks, REpower is already expecting further unit certificates for the MM series. For the new generation units of the 3.XM series, for which prototype testing will soon be carried out, unit certificates should be available in the fourth quarter of 2010 at the latest. Due to the prototyping regulation, the wind turbines of this series can be connected to the grid through the end of January 2011 without requiring a unit certificate and an expert’s opinion.
REpower Systems AG together with Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada) and the Wind Energy TechnoCentre recently announced the successful installation of two REpower MM92 wind energy turbines in the Canadian province of Québec.
The two wind turbines have a rated power of 2.05 MW each and are as Cold Climate Versions (CCV) particularly designed for the cold and moist climate in eastern Canada. In the following months they will be tested intensively.
The owner of the wind farm, the Non-Profit-Organisation Wind Energy TechnoCentre, published a video of the installation of the wind turbines on its website.
REpower Systems AG is one of the leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops, produces and markets wind turbines with rated outputs of 2.05 MW to 6.15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 meters to 126 meters for almost any location. The company also offers a comprehensive portfolio of service and maintenance packages. The profitable and reliable systems are designed at the REpower TechCenter in Osterrönfeld and manufactured at its plants in Husum (North Friesland), Trampe (Brandenburg) and Bremerhaven as well as Portugal and China.
With about 2,000 employees worldwide, the company, which has been listed since March 2002 and is headquartered in Hamburg, can make use of the experience gained from the manufacture and installation of over 2,000 wind turbines around the world. REpower is represented by distribution partners, subsidiaries and participations in European markets such as France, Belgium, the UK, Italy, Portugal and Spain as well as on a global level in the USA, Japan, China, Australia and Canada.
