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A reliable workhouse with grid-fault ride through technology to meet the latest requirements of electricity system operators for smooth integration of wind plant into the grid is what GE Energy is aiming for with its new 2 MW-plus range of turbines, says chief engineer Vincent Schelling. Last month the company installed the first prototype of its GE 2.X series, a 2.5 MW turbine, at the Netherlands wind turbine testing centre run by Dutch national laboratory ECN.

To reduce thrust loads, thought to be a main contributor to widespread gearbox damage in the wind industry, GE has introduced two main bearings for the rotor shaft, instead of the more usual single bearing, so the main loads on the gearbox are now just torque, says Schelling. As well as testing the 2.X series in operation, GE will be using a test bed to subject the bearings to simulations of the expected loads "to really make sure we know that it is well designed." Two main bearings, says Schelling, allow GE to shorten the main shaft and make the entire drive train more compact.

A second prototype of the 2.X series, which includes a 2.3 MW for low wind speed sites such as those in Germany and a 2.7 MW for "really windy markets" such as Canada or Norway, is to go up in August or September, probably in Germany, says Schelling.