GE Wind
{{short description|American wind turbine manufacturer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = GE Wind
| logo = GE Vernova logo.svg
| logo_size = 190
| caption =
| image = GE–Alstom 150-6MW nacelle at Østerild, 2017.jpg
| image_size = 300
| image_caption = A wind turbine GE-Alstom Haliade 150-6MW in 2017.
| type = Division
| industry = Wind power
| genre =
| fate =
| predecessor = Zond and Alstom Wind
| successor =
| foundation = {{start date and age|1980}}
| founder = James Dehlsen
| defunct =
| location = Schenectady, New York
| locations =
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = Vic Abate (CEO of GE Vernova's Wind businesses)
| products = Wind turbines, sale and services of wind farms
| services =
| revenue = US$10.4 billion (2020 Onshore Wind)
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| aum =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent = GE Vernova
| divisions =
| subsid = GE Offshore Wind, LM Wind Power
| footnotes = [https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0000040545/3b695550-528c-4142-9191-cad65bfad61b.pdf]
| intl =
| homepage = https://www.gevernova.com/wind-power/onshore-wind
}}
GE Wind is a division of GE Vernova. The company manufactures and sells wind turbines to the international market. In 2018, GE Wind was the fourth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world.{{Cite news|url=https://about.bnef.com/blog/vestas-leads-break-away-group-big-four-turbine-makers/|title=Vestas Leads Break-Away Group of Big Four Turbine Makers|date=February 14, 2019|publisher=BloombergNEF|access-date=2019-11-21|language=en}} Vic Abate is the CEO of GE Vernova’s Wind businesses.{{Cite web |title=Leadership {{!}} GE Vernova |url=https://www.gevernova.com/about/leadership |access-date=2024-06-01 |website=www.gevernova.com}}
History
= Enron Wind acquisition era (2002-2015) =
The entity was created as developer (not manufacturer) Zond in 1980 by James G.P. Dehlsen, who also formed Clipper Windpower in 2001. Enron acquired Zond and the German manufacturer Tacke Windtechnik in 1997.
In 2002, while gas turbine sales were declining,{{cite news|date=12 April 2002|title=G.E. to Buy Enron Wind-Turbine Assets|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/12/business/ge-to-buy-enron-wind-turbine-assets.html|url-status=live|access-date=25 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915221421/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/12/business/ge-to-buy-enron-wind-turbine-assets.html|archive-date=15 September 2020}} GE acquired the Enron Wind, the only surviving US manufacturer of large wind turbines at the time, during the bankruptcy proceedings of its parent, Enron. GE increased engineering and support for the Wind Division and doubled its annual sales to $1.2B in 2003.
By acquiring Zond, GE gained a very important patent for variable-speed systems ({{patent|US|5083039}}),{{cite web|date=22 February 2013|title=Battle lines are drawn: the fight over IP rights - World Wind Technology|url=https://www.windpower-international.com/features/featurewind-industry-intellectual-property-rights-philip-totaro-totaroassociates/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219065705/https://www.windpower-international.com/features/featurewind-industry-intellectual-property-rights-philip-totaro-totaroassociates/|archive-date=19 February 2021|website=www.windpower-international.com}}{{cite web|title=Variable speed wind turbine (US 5083039 A)|url=https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/de/04/d5/96f7bd27588e50/US5083039.pdf}} which had a major impact on the North American market. Enron had continued production of the 1 MW and 1.5 MW wind turbines of Tacke Windtechnik and GE has expanded production in Germany.
GE acquired ScanWind in 2009,{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/ge-boosts-offshore-wind-with-acquisition/ |title=GE boosts offshore wind with acquisition|date=2009-09-14|work=CNET|access-date=2018-03-14|language=en |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070611/https://www.cnet.com/news/ge-boosts-offshore-wind-with-acquisition/ |archive-date=15 March 2018 |url-status=live}} and in 2011 Wind Tower Systems LLC, a manufacturer of space frame wind turbine towers.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/ge-wts-wind-turbine-tech/ |title=GE Acquires Tall Turbine Tech From Wind Tower Systems – TechCrunch|website=techcrunch.com|date=11 February 2011 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-03-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130115837/https://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/ge-wts-wind-turbine-tech/ |archive-date=30 November 2020 |url-status=live}}
= Growth and acquisition of Alstom Wind (2015-) =
After the acquisition of Alstom's energy generating assets (2015) GE's wind portfolio was expanded to include the 6-megawatt 'Haliade
GE acquired LM Wind Power from Doughty Hanson & Co for an enterprise value of €1.5 billion in April 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://www.genewsroom.com/press-releases/ge-completes-acquisition-lm-wind-power-283698|title=GE Completes Acquisition of LM Wind Power|date=2017-04-20|work=GE Newsroom|access-date=2018-03-14|language=en}}
Products
= GE Wind Turbines =
[[File:GE1.5WindTurbine01.jpg|thumb|
GE 1.5-megawatt Wind Turbine
]]
= GE onshore wind turbines =
The GE platform began development with the creation of the 1.5-megawatt series of wind turbines that were developed with the cooperation of the United States Department of Energy.{{Cite web|url=http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/large_wind_tech.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712013606/http://www1.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/large_wind_tech.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2010-07-12|title=Wind and Water Power Program: Large Wind Technology|date=2010-07-12|access-date=2018-02-21}} It consisted of three fibreglass blades attached to a horizontal axis hub. The hub is connected to the main shaft that turns a multi-stage system of gears. The gears increase the rotational rate and send the kinetic energy obtained from the wind to a doubly-fed electric machine, where it is converted into electrical energy. The angle of the blades and the direction that the turbine faces are controlled by an active, all- electric pitch and yaw system. The generator and gearbox are contained in the nacelle, which is further insulated to minimize noise emissions.
Several optional features support its presence in electrical grids, including voltage regulation, low voltage ride through, and the delivery of reactive power during grid disturbances or periods of low wind.
To further wind power research, a unit was commissioned at the National Wind Technology Center in late 2009. Its 10,000 installations in the US at the time constituted 50% of the national commercial wind energy fleet, influencing the NREL's decision to install a model at the Center.
The next evolution, the 2.5XL, used a permanent magnet generator, and its entire output was converted to AC at mains frequency. The platform was then moved back to the use of a doubly-fed generator and rotor converter, similar to the 1.5 series.
As of 2022, GE had over 40,000 turbines installed across the globe.{{Cite web |last=Sofia |date=2022-07-29 |title=GE Wind Turbines |url=https://lindyenergy.com/ge-wind-turbines/ |access-date=2023-05-15 |website=Lindy Energy |language=en-US}}
= GE offshore wind turbines =
{{Detail|GE Offshore Wind}}
The offshore GE 3.6 SL model was installed in 2003 at the Arklow Bank Wind Park in Ireland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewindpower.net/windfarm_en_1741_arklow-bank.php |title=Arklow Bank (Ireland) - Wind farms - Online access - The Wind Power|website=www.thewindpower.net|language=en-us|access-date=2018-02-21}}
In the early 2010s GE cancelled its development of a 4.1-megawatt offshore wind turbine. The only example built, owned by Goteborg Energi, was erected in Goteborg, Sweden, in 2011.
Following the purchase of the Ecotècnia by Alstom and the acquisition of Alstom by General Electric, production started in 2016 at the St. Nazaire factory in France for the 6-megawatt Haliade offshore turbine, featuring a permanent magnet design. This unit started an extended test period in Spring 2016 at Østerild Wind Turbine Test Field.
File:Haliade-X, frontal view 01.jpg
The Haliade-X was certified for typhoons in 2021.{{cite web |title=GE's Haliade-X receives typhoon certification from DNV |url=https://www.windtech-international.com/product-news/ges-haliade-x-receives-typhoon-certification-from-dnv |website=www.windtech-international.com |date=7 May 2021}} using a prototype in Rotterdam. GE and Hyundai agreed to build a Haliade-X factory in South Korea.{{cite web |title=Hyundai Electric to build factory to produce Haliade-X offshore wind turbine |url=https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/hyundai-electric-to-build-factory-to-produce-haliade-x-offshore-wind-turbine-74260 |website=Riviera |language=En}}
Key projects
The 845-megawatt Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon is the first windpark in the United States to utilize permanent magnet design in its primary wind turbine.
Fântânele-Cogealac Wind Farm in Romania, constructed in 2008, uses 240 GE 2.5xl wind turbines capable of generating a total of 600 MW, powering a million Romanian households each year.{{Cite news|url= https://renewablesnow.com/news/ge-says-600-mw-fantanele-cogealac-wind-farm-in-romania-fully-operational-322632/ |title=GE says 600 MW Fantanele-Cogealac wind farm in Romania fully operational|work=Renewablesnow.com |access-date=2018-02-21|language=en}}
The offshore GE 3.6 SL model was installed at the Arklow Bank Wind Park.
Through the provision of 179 GE 3.6-137 turbines to Markbygden Wind Farm in Sweden, GE will create the largest single onshore wind installation in Europe. Norsk Hydro will purchase the power via a 19-year fixed volume corporate PPA; understood to be the largest corporate wind energy PPA in the world.{{Cite news|url=https://www.genewsroom.com/press-releases/ge-and-green-investment-group-deliver-650-mw-onshore-wind-sweden-284098 |title=GE and Green Investment Group to Deliver 650 MW of Onshore Wind to Sweden|date=2017-11-07|work=GE Newsroom|access-date=2018-02-21 |language=en}}
In April 2018, General Electric announced that it will begin testing the world's largest wind turbine {{ndash}} the Haliade-X {{ndash}} at its facilities in Blyth, England. General Electric's renewable energy department signed a five-year contract with the British government-funded Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult to begin trials of the 12-megawatt turbine.[https://inhabitat.com/general-electric-to-debut-worlds-largest-wind-turbine-in-uk/ "General Electric to debut world's largest wind turbine in UK"] Inhabitat, April 24, 2018 A prototype was installed at Port of Rotterdam, producing 288 MWh in 24 hours in February 2020,{{cite web |last1=Vorrath |first1=Sophie |title=World's largest offshore wind turbine clocks new 24-hour generation record |url=https://reneweconomy.com.au/worlds-largest-offshore-wind-turbine-clocks-new-24-hour-generation-record-71571/ |website=RenewEconomy |language=en-AU |date=7 February 2020}} and a 14 MW prototype started there in October 2021.{{cite web |last1=Radowitz |first1=Bernd |title='First turbine to run at 14MW': GE steps-up power rating at Haliade-X offshore prototype {{!}} Recharge |url=https://www.rechargenews.com/wind/first-turbine-to-run-at-14mw-ge-steps-up-power-rating-at-haliade-x-offshore-prototype/2-1-1077459 |website=Recharge {{!}} Latest renewable energy news |language=en |date=5 October 2021}}
Plans in September 2020 called for a new upgraded version of 13 MW GE Haliade-X turbine to be installed at Dogger Bank Wind Farm by 2023,{{Cite web|title=GE's Haliade-X 13-MW giant picked for Dogger Bank offshore wind farm|url=https://renewablesnow.com/news/ges-haliade-x-13-mw-giant-picked-for-dogger-bank-offshore-wind-farm-714391/ |access-date=2020-09-22|website=Renewablesnow.com |date=22 September 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Ltd|first=Renews |date=2020-09-22|title=13MW Haliade-X confirmed for Dogger Bank A and B|url=https://renews.biz/63272/13mw-haliade-x-confirmed-for-dogger-bank-a-and-b/ |access-date=2020-09-22|website=reNEWS - Renewable Energy News|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=GE Renewable Energy launches the uprated Haliade-X 13 MW wind turbine for the UK's Dogger Bank Wind Farm {{!}} REVE News of the wind sector in Spain and in the world|date=22 September 2020 |url=https://www.evwind.es/2020/09/22/ge-renewable-energy-launches-the-uprated-haliade-x-13-mw-wind-turbine-for-the-uks-dogger-bank-wind-farm/77299 |access-date=2020-09-22|language=en-US}} and DNV-certified in late 2022.{{cite web |title=GE's Haliade-X 14.7MW-220 obtains full DNV type certificate |url=https://www.rivieramm.com/news-content-hub/ges-haliade-x-147mw-220-obtains-full-dnv-type-certificate-74313 |website=Riviera |language=En}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite web|url=http://www.ge-energy.com/products_and_services/products/wind_turbines/index.jsp|title=GE Wind Turbine, Features & Benefits|access-date=2013-04-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130404224612/http://www.ge-energy.com/products_and_services/products/wind_turbines/index.jsp|archive-date=2013-04-04|url-status=dead}}
- {{Cite web |url=http://www.gsinc.com/|title=Granite Industrial Services, Wholly Owned Affiliate of the General Electric Co.}}
{{GE Vernova}}
{{General Electric}}
{{Wind power in the United States}}
{{Wind power}}
Category:Companies based in Fairfield County, Connecticut