Prototype produces electricity

The prototype of our E-175 EP5 E2 has been successfully commissioned. The turbine at the Wachendorf site in Lower Saxony fed its first kilowatt hour into the grid at the beginning of this week. ‘This is great news!’ says Jann-Hendrik Wehmeyer, Project Manager Generator in the E2 programme at ENERCON R&D. ‘The entire prototype team worked really hard to finalise this important milestone.’

The E-175 EP5 E2 is the new top model in our product portfolio. With a rated power of 7.0 MW and a rotor diameter of 175 metres, it is one of the largest, most powerful and highest-yielding onshore turbines on the European market.

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The increased rated power compared to the E-175 EP5 basic version with 6.0 MW is based on a new generator, which is designed as an external rotor in the E2. This design was chosen in order to achieve a larger air gap diameter for higher torques and thus higher power levels. To ensure that the larger-diameter component can be transported efficiently, it can be split: the generator is delivered to the construction site in two halves and only assembled during system installation.

‘In Wachendorf, we installed the new generator type for the second time ever – the first installation took place a few weeks ago on our test stand in Aurich. Everything went smoothly in Wachendorf too,’ reports Jann-Hendrik Wehmeyer. ‘Installation and commissioning of the prototype went very quickly, which gives us confidence for the start series ramp-up of the new technology.’

Further commissioning steps are now on the programme at the Wachendorf site. The prototype team will gradually ramp up the machine's output to nominal power. Further tests and measurements are then planned to validate the new system type.