Our giant at sea, a reality thanks to the talented team behind it
Madrid / 19 October 2021
A little over a year after the launch of the SG 14-222 DD, we caught up with members of the team of one of our most ambitious products ever. Their ultimate aim is to deliver a high-quality, truly global product that’s competitive across markets, offering high energy yield and lower LCOE. Close to 270 people are working hard on the project, some of them in night shifts, amid all the challenges of the pandemic, to ensure we meet our next milestone – the erection of the prototype at Osterild, Denmark.
Ownership - that’s the first trait that stands out about the three people we caught up with, to get a behind-the-scenes view of the SG 14-222 DD prototype.
“Everyone on our team is passionate about what they do, skilled and committed to delivering a high-quality product,” explains Sandra Svan Them, Product Manager.
Her colleague, Belen Jacome Giler, Commercial Product Manager, agrees: “The SG 14-222 DD is our everything. It’s a nice feeling – being a subset of the company, working closely together, to meet the next milestone and make this product a success.”
That’s what a project of this scale needs. Mogens Lau, Program Manager - Next Generation Offshore Turbine, highlights: “Developing the turbine is probably the easier part. After the installation of the prototype, we’re preparing for production - making sure we can source and transport the parts, and service this machine in an optimal way. We have to incorporate new ideas and at the same time ensure faster time-to-market. Finding the right balance is a key enabler - we have a committed high-performance team to make it happen”.
The SG 14-222 DD, launched in May 2020, has seen its fair share of challenges. At this stage, it is imperative that the turbine’s design and development are optimized for all the stakeholders – production, procurement, construction, transportation, installation, and service – across the value chain.
When the SG 14-222 DD prototype is erected in Osterild, it will be a truly global product for Siemens Gamesa’s offshore business. The sourcing, manufacturing and selling, is happening on a global scale.
“This turbine is also designed to operate in warmer climates and typhoon areas in Asia Pacific or the US, for example. This is a big change - previous turbines were envisioned mainly for Northern Europe. So, we are continuously optimizing the design and manufacturing process for various factors including temperature conditions and wind speeds,” notes Mogens.
The SG 14-222 DD is a proven, mature technology that customers can rely on. It is built on a solid foundation of five previous generations of Direct Drive machines. “We’ve fully utilized its predecessors - the already compact SG 11.0-200 DD turbine which forms the basis of the design - through optimization, updates and reinforcements.
While the main dimensions are the same, the swept area is larger by almost 25%. It’s a very compact design with high energy yield, meaning lower LCoE (levelized cost of energy) for all the future wind power plants,” affirms Mogens.
The team is building on their vast experience to optimize a proven concept. Attention is being paid to every aspect – the environment, costs, logistics, ease of installation and service, to ensure that the right product is ready at the right time, at the right quality and cost. This includes cutting-edge technology such as the RecyclableBlade option for offshore, the world’s first 100% recyclable blade, which Siemens Gamesa has developed.
“When COVID-19 struck, we were right in the middle of development. Overnight, we switched to remote working, no longer sitting next to each other. We found new ways of working together. During the prototype’s assembly, not all designers were allowed to enter the R&D workshop. VR (virtual reality) glasses showed findings from the prototype and also came in handy while reviewing components from suppliers as travel was restricted,” observes Sandra.
“I’m proud of all that we have accomplished together. I like my job very much and cannot see myself working with anything else than wind turbines,” she concludes.
Making a difference in the world, by helping green energy go global and move faster is Mogens’ inspiration. “I enjoy working with different individuals who share this vision and enable them to become high performance teams who work intelligently to create products that drive the energy transition,” he describes.
“Why all this effort? Because it is simply worth it. By ensuring we have a competitive product, we are directly supporting the energy transition to renewables and safeguarding a clean future for the next generations”, concludes Belen.
