Siemens launches D3 Wind Turbine for High Energy Yields at Low Wind Sites

A growing number of onshore wind farms in Germany and throughout Europe are being sited in regions with moderate to low wind speeds. Siemens Energy is responding to this trend with its new Model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine. Delivering 3.3 megawatts of electric power, this wind power unit extracts the maximum energy yield from low to moderate wind velocities, thereby rounding off Siemens wind power portfolio as an innovative and extremely efficient wind turbine for sites with low wind speeds. With its rotor measuring 130 meters in diameter, this giant unit will be available in early 2017.

Siemens Wind Power has injected over five years of pertinent experience gained from its D3 platform into the new SWT-3.3-130. This has enabled engineers to fundamentally rework the core components: In the new unit, the direct-drive PMG generator operates with even stronger permanent magnets to further enhance output. The designs of the nacelle bedplate, yaw drive and other components important to unit statics have been strengthened to accommodate the new 130-meter-long rotor.

While new servo-motors ensure precise rotation of the nacelle even at high wind pressures, particularly strong hydraulic cylinders in the newly designed rotor hub enable exact adjustment of rotor blade angle. The SWT-3.3-130 uses B63 blades measuring 63 meters in length. These aeroelastically tailored blades limit the static loading of the nacelle and tower, particularly under turbulent wind conditions, as the blade ends act to cushion and absorb high wind pressure. Further innovations featured in the SWT-3.3-130 include a newly designed cooling system that has now been integrated into the nacelle and ensures optimum cooling of the generator and other electrical components. Thanks to its reworked technology and 130-meter rotor, this new unit exceeds the annual energy yield of the previous D3-series wind turbine (SWT-3.0-113 / SWT-3.2-113) by approximately 17 to 20 percent.

“In our new Model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine we have once again maximized the performance reserves which Siemens’ D3 platform offers with its direct-drive PMG generator,” explains Morten Pilgaard Rasmussen, Head of Research & Development at Siemens Wind Power. “We are proud to be able to offer a highly attractive solution for sites with low wind speeds which will set whole new standards for economic efficiency, energy yield and reliability."