GE Introduces New Wind Turbines

The new machines include:

* GE’s 2.75-100 is an uprate of the existing 2.5-100 wind turbine with no mechanical component changes and only minor changes to the electrical system. GE’s 2.75-100 machine will provide greater AEP in IEC TC II1 environments.

* GE’s 2.75-103 is a combination of the 2.75 uprate and the 103 meter rotor which utilizes GE’s 50.2 meter proprietary blade design that offers the latest enhancements in aerodynamics, reduced acoustic emissions and robust performance. The new 2.75-103 wind turbine is optimized for IEC TC III.

The changes were made to increase customer value while maintaining the proven performance and reliability of GE’s existing 2.5-megawatt wind turbine. These latest additions to the wind turbine fleet significantly expand GE’s ability to cover a broader range of wind conditions, yield the highest annual energy production in their class and build upon the success of GE’s 1.5-megawatt machine, the world’s most widely deployed wind turbine with 14,000 units now installed.

GE’s 2.5-megawatt series is globally available. GE’s 2.5 megawatt series wind turbines are being used at two of the world’s largest projects: CEZ Romania’s Fantanele wind farm and Cogealac wind farm which make up Europe’s largest onshore wind farm project and at Caithness Energy’s Sheperds Flats wind project under construction in Oregon—the largest wind farm ever built in the United States.

GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. 

GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies.

The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas—work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.

The IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) defines three classes of wind turbines for different wind regimes. Class I turbines are for sites with average speeds of more than 8.5 meters per second, while class III wind turbines are for wind speeds less than 7.5 meters per second and class II turbines are in between.

www.ge.com