VATIS UPDATE Article

DNV GL, Germany, has assessed the market’s new offshore turbine in development and awarded Siemens Wind Power with the Prototype Certificate for its 8 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine SWT-8.0-154. The prototype certification confirms all relevant safety features on the turbine according to the Danish Executive Order BEK 73:2013 and IEC 61400-22, allowing installation of the prototype to demonstrate its performance.

By erecting the turbine at the test centre for wind turbines in Østerild, Denmark, Siemens is able to perform the measurement campaign for the next phase of the type certification process which is crucial to bring the turbine to the market. “We are proud to have received the prototype certificate at this early stage, allowing us to install our SWT-8.0-154 prototype according to plan. The third evolution on the Offshore Direct Drive platform truly marks the move towards industrializing offshore wind power,” said Morten Rasmussen, at Siemens Wind Power Technology.

The SWT-8.0-154 turbine is an evolution of the SWT-6.0-154 and the SWT-7.0-154 turbines. The main changes going from SWT-7.0-154 to the SWT-8.0-154 turbine consist of an upgraded generator including the adjacent electrical system and an advanced control system. The upgrade of the offshore direct drive wind turbine to eight megawatts is made possible through the introduction of new magnet technology with an even higher grade than that introduced in the SWT-7.0-154. This enables a rated power increase of more than 14% from 7.0 to 8.0 MW.