GE surpasses 5,000 installations for its 1.5 megawatt wind turbine.

[JohnWxy]

http://www.greenprogress.com/alternative_energy_article.php?id=348


10/23/2006 - GE Energy today announced it has surpassed 5,000 installations for its 1,5-megawatt wind turbine, one of the most widely used machines in the global wind power industry.

"Our 1.5-megawatt wind turbine technology has been proven in nearly every wind regime, terrain or climate worldwide," said Victor Abate, Vice President-Renewables for GE Energy. "As we celebrate the milestone of our 5000th application, we also continue to invest in technology improvements that build upon the vast experience of our installed fleet and will result in even higher levels of reliability and efficiency."

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Accompanying the increase in the number of installations has been a continuing evolution of the turbine technology. An on-going improvement program has integrated valuable lessons learned and knowledge gathered from long-term plant operation and customer feedback. Current research and development efforts are further enhancing the 1.5-megawatt design.

In 2005, GE expanded the 1.5-megawatt series to include the 1.5xle model, designed for efficient operation in low wind areas. With this introduction, the 1.5-megawatt series now is available with the ideal rotor diameter for every wind classification.

The rotor diameter for the 1.5-megawatt machine has increased from 77 meters to 82.5 meters. The larger rotors and advancements in systems controls have helped to achieve increases in both capacity factor and reliability.