In an important move for North Sea wind, Siemens Wind Power has received offshore prototype certification from GL Renewables Certification (GL RC) for testing its new six-megawatt offshore wind turbine at Dong Energy’s Gunfleet Sands III demonstration project in UK waters.
This will be the first offshore test of this new machine.
Siemens developed the SWT-6.0 specifically for offshore application.
The first unit was installed in 2011 at the Høvsøre test site in Denmark with a 120m rotor. According to Siemens, it has now operated for well over a year, setting new production records during the testing.
The second 6MW prototype with a 15m rotor was installed in 2012 at the new national test centre at Østerild, Denmark. In January this year, Siemens installed two additional SWT-6.0 prototypes at Gunfleet Sands III. Both machines for this project are equipped with the 120m rotor.
GL RC has also been contracted to carry out the type certification of the new machines and is currently involved in the design evaluation process. Type certification is increasingly required by countries hosting windfarms and is often a condition for tendering projects.
Recently, GL RC published its new “Guideline for the Certification of Offshore Wind Turbines”, Edition 2012.
The updated guideline tracks the main developments in the offshore wind industry, for example, the increased size of turbines and mitigation of loads using advanced, intelligent control systems.
GL RC says every aspect of development from blade tip, to foundation and power export cable is considered in its certification process.