The UK’s Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) is to invest £25 million in an indoor wind turbine drive train test rig that will help to secure the continued success and expansion of the UK’s offshore wind energy industry.
The state-of-the-art, open access test rig will be sited at Narec, a renewable energy research centre in Blyth, Northumberland, and will be capable of testing complete drive trains and nacelles up to 15 MW in size.
It will be the UK’s first dedicated full turbine test facility and will be available for commercial testing from June 2013. It will help manufacturers to ensure that wind turbine nacelles will be able to withstand the harsh offshore operating conditions before being deployed.
“Larger, more powerful wind turbines will need more rigorous testing and development before they are deployed in large numbers off the UK’s coasts,” said ETI Chief Executive Dr. David Clarke. “It is faster, cheaper and more effective to do this on land in a controlled, indoor, world-class facility than it is to try and do it for the first time out in the North Sea.
“This is a major step in establishing the UK as a leader in the wind turbine industry.”
The rig has been designed to allow the whole turbine nacelle to be tested in a purpose built, onshore test facility. This, says ETI, will help to reduce the technical and commercial risks of mass production and deployment, as well as minimise the costs of offshore wind energy.
Preparatory construction and infrastructure works have already commenced at Narec, ahead of the start of building construction later this year.
“This is a world leading engineering project that will benefit manufacturers, consumers and the UK economy as a whole by helping to increase the reliability and reduce the costs of electricity from offshore wind,” said Clarke.
According to Andrew Mill, CEO of Narec, demand for the facility is already high, with “a number of wind turbine manufacturers already having made a clear commitment to undertake accelerated lifetime testing of their prototype machines in the 5-10 MW range at Narec from 2013”.
Narec is planning to commission a 100 m wind turbine blade testing facility and a 3 MW drive train test facility for both wind and marine applications next year.
“Together, Narec’s unique portfolio of independent test and development assets provides the foundation to enable OEMs to demonstrate improved performance and reliability,” said Mill. “This will grow the confidence in the sector which is required for future expansion in line with the government’s economic and climate change targets.”
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