Siemens launches new grid access solution for offshore wind turbines

Siemens launched a new alternating-current (AC) grid access solution on Wednesday to connect near-shore wind power plants to the grid.

 

The new solution consists of attaching an offshore transformer module (OTM) directly to a wind turbine, which acts as a distributed transmission asset, Tim Dawidowsky, the CEO of transmission solutions for Siemens said at a wind energy conference here on Wednesday.

The cost of the new system would be 40 percent less than a conventional AC platform on account of it being one third smaller in size and weight, Dawidowsky told the EWEA Offshore 2015 conference.

He added that the new platform was small and light enough to be mounted together with a turbine on the same foundation.

“This eliminates the need for a special heavy lift vessel and saves additional costs,” Dawidowsky said.

He further noted that installation time would be shortened by around 20 percent, also due to better availability of standard service operation vessels.

The German industrial group aims to reduce the costs of wind power generated offshore to below 0.1 euro/kilowatt-hour (kWh) (about 0.11 U.S. dollars/kWh) by 2020.

Dawidowsky said the new solution represents an important lever for reaching that goal.