Siemens Gamesa cranks it up to 15 MW with offshore behemoth

Siemens Gamesa has launched a new SG 14-222 DD offshore Direct Drive wind turbine.

The new turbine model has a 14 MW capacity, reaching up to 15 MW using the company’s Power Boost function, a 222-metre diameter rotor, 108-metre long blades, and a 39,000 m2 swept area.

The turbine prototype is expected to be ready in 2021, and the model will be commercially available in 2024, Siemens Gamesa said.

“We’ve gone bigger for the better,” said Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

“Safely and sustainably providing clean energy for our customers and society-at-large is at the core of all we do. The new SG 14-222 DD is a global product which allows all of us take giant steps towards protecting and preserving our planet. We ourselves became carbon neutral in late 2019 and are on track towards meeting our long-term ambition of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. Our installed fleet of over 100 GW both offshore and onshore abates more than 260 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.”

The 14 MW capacity allows one SG 14-222 DD machine to provide enough energy to power approximately 18,000 average European households every year. Approximately 30 SG 14-222 DD offshore wind turbines could furthermore cover the annual electricity consumption of Bilbao, Spain, the company said.

“Offshore is in our DNA,” said Andreas Nauen, CEO of the Siemens Gamesa Offshore Business Unit.

“Since we helped create the offshore wind industry in 1991, we’ve been determined to safely increase operational performance, minimize technology risks, and create a consistently lower Levelized Cost of Energy. The SG 14-222 DD demonstrates our drive to lead the way in a world powered by clean energy. In fact, just one unit will avoid approx. 1.4 million tons of CO2 emissions compared to coal-fired power generation over the course of its projected 25-year lifetime.”

The 222-metre diameter rotor uses the new Siemens Gamesa B108 blades. Each 108-metre long IntegralBlade® is cast in one piece using patented Siemens Gamesa blade technologies. Additionally, the turbine’s 39,000 m2 swept area is equivalent to approximately 5.5 standard football pitches. It allows the SG 14-222 DD to provide an increase of more than 25% in Annual Energy Production compared to the SG 11.0-200 DD offshore wind turbine, Siemens Gamesa said.

Furthermore, the new offshore giant features a low nacelle weight at 500 metric tons. This light weight is said to enable Siemens Gamesa to safely utilize an optimized tower and foundation substructure compared to a heavier nacelle. Benefits thus arise in the form of lower costs per turbine by minimizing sourced materials and reducing transportation needs, the company said.