The new generation record was established by a turbine located at Slagnaw Farm in Castle Douglas, Scotland. The 2177 kilowatt hours (kWh) generated by the turbine is equivalent to almost 22 hours of generation at rated power. Previously the same turbine had generated 2035 kWh on the previous day, meaning that in 48 hours it generated 4212 kWh, which is just above the total annual electricity consumption of the average UK household according to figures by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).
The UK small and medium-scale wind market is presently seeking to address a series of challenges ranging from planning and financing complications through to grid connection problems and ongoing operations and maintenance concerns. Crucial to the sector’s ongoing success will be shaking off a reputation of inefficiency and a reliance on outdated technology. Demonstrating that medium-scale turbines can perform to capacity throughout the year may help to overcome community objections that have hindered the uptake of distributed generation to date.
The nED100 is the product of an extensive research and development programme by Norvento and is a highly advanced direct drive machine incorporating a range of technology from the utility-scale wind sector, targeted at maximizing performance and efficiency.
In particular, the turbine blades have been designed to work in perfect combination with both the active pitch and variable speed controls, allowing nED100 to achieve maximum aerodynamic efficiency in any wind conditions and maximizing output even at low wind speeds. The turbine also incorporates a range of sensors, thereby enabling the remote diagnosis, repair and restart of the machine, keeping downtime to a minimum and allowing Norvento to continually optimise performance across its operational portfolio.
The combination of features has increased the nED100’s availability and performance in the medium wind sector, helping it to surpass its previous generation records set at Slagnaw Farm on 26th October.
“This performance milestone is very pleasing, but hardly comes as a surprise” said Ivo Arnús, Director of UK Business Development. ““We are continuously striving to refine nED100 as a product and the data we collect is an integral part of this process. Given the challenges facing onshore wind in general, and distributed wind in particular, it’s highly important that the medium-scale industry continues to present an attractive and viable investment proposition for landowners and institutional investors alike. That is why efficiency and performance has to stay top of the agenda for the manufacturers and distributors working throughout the sector.”
The company’s technological innovation is supported by its warranties, including comprehensive power curve, noise and eventual availability guarantees. Norvento, which has been raising the medium-wind standard since it arrived in the UK market, was the first manufacturer to introduce warranties of this level to its customers.
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