A big baby´s first steps
The newest Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbine, the SG 11.0-193 DD Flex is big enough to produce power for 11,000 European households. To get ready for its first job at the world’s first subsidy-free offshore wind farm Hollandse Kust Zuid, it is taking its first steps in life at one of the most advanced wind turbine test facilities in the world, Denmark’s National Test Center for wind turbines in Oesterild. Ironically enough, the installation process here is the one time in a turbine’s life where the engineers cross their fingers for as little wind as possible.
The installation of the prototype was in some ways like an enormous puzzle with many big and small pieces. The nacelle measures 20m in length and 12m in height. The blades are 94m long, and the area they cover when turning in the wind is 29,300m2 or roughly the same size as four football pitches.
“All steps in this process were planned down to the tiniest detail. Except for one – the wind! Be it on land or at sea, we depend on the wind to blow. But when we use the crane to lift the big components of a wind turbine into place; we ironically depend on the wind not blowing.” Over the next couple of years, our engineers will carry out tests and validations on this newest member of the Siemens Gamesa wind turbine family.
The transport of the huge components to their destination at the test center and the installation attracted a lot of attention from local citizens as well as media. Just as you see people at airports enjoying spotting planes, you could see people following the progress of the transport and installation.
A competition among Siemens Gamesa employees to take the best photo during transport resulted in many good shots.
Enjoy the selection in this photo gallery and find your favorite!
