GE Renewable Energy reports that its prototype wind turbine for the new Cypress platform has been installed and is fully operational at Wieringermeer, The Netherlands. It is the largest wind-turbine model in GE’s portfolio, rated for an output of 5.3 megawatts of electricity. According to the developer, the start-up represents a milestone in the progress to commercializing large-scale turbines able to lower electricity cost but still flexible in regard to placement.
The Cypress 5.3-MW prototype was installed late last year and produced its first kilowatts of electricity in February. GE Renewable Energy stated it will continue to operate the prototype to validate the performance of the Cypress platform.
Testing the new turbine will support efforts to gain the Type Certificate in pursuit of commercializing the system.
The Cypress platform was announced in September 2017
is offered with multiple ratings and varying hub heights. It will enable a lower cost of electricity by matching each wind turbine solution to specific site needs, which is critical as wind power increasingly competes on price with other sources of power generation.
The Cypress platform adopts a two-piece blade design that makes it possible to use larger rotors and to install the turbines in a wider variety of locations. The longer rotors help to drive down Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and the proprietary blade design allows these larger turbines to be installed in locations that were previously inaccessible, according to GE.
The first turbine in the Cypress platform was a 4.8-MW unit introduced in September 2017.
"We are confident that Cypress, with its two-piece blade design, will be a game changer for the industry,” stated Jérôme Pécresse, CEO of GE Renewable Energy. “We're hearing equal enthusiasm from our customers across the globe, who tell us they appreciate the potential of Cypress to help them both lower the cost of onshore wind and gain added flexibility in siting turbines."
