GE Energy's 2.5xl Wind Turbine Offers CWE Capabilities

Published: 21-Sep-2009

GE Energy's 2.5xl wind turbine is now available with a cold weather extreme (CWE) package. The addition of the CWE package ensures that the 2.5xl wind turbine can operate in temperatures as low as -30°C, and in survival mode without operation, at temperatures as low as -40°C. The CWE package originally was developed for General Electric Company's (GE) 1.5 MW wind turbine and has been adapted for the 2.5xl.

The CWE package is important for wind turbines that operate in Canada where cold temperatures are common.

GE made the announcement at CanWEA 2009, sponsored by the Canadian Wind Energy Association. Earlier in 2009, GE announced that the 2.5xl will be launched in North America in 2010.

“With more than 4,400 wind turbines on cold weather sites, GE is very experienced with operating wind turbines under challenging conditions,” said Vic Abate, vice president of renewables, GE Energy.

With its 2.5 MW generator, the 2.5xl can provide more output for projects where land is constrained and because of its strong acoustic performance, setback distances to noise receptors can be minimized, enabling installation of more units on a given plot of land.

“Despite the global economic challenges, we continue to see opportunities for continued growth in the North American wind industry,” said Abate. “Adding the cold weather extreme package to our 2.5xl design greatly expands our capabilities to meet the diverse needs of our customers.”

According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), Canada surpassed 2,000 MW of installed wind power capacity last year and is expected to exceed 3,000 MW in 2009. Wind currently supplies about 1% of Canada’s electricity demand, with the country’s wind turbines representing more than 2,800 MW of generating capacity, enough power to meet the needs of more than 860,000 homes.

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