2012.03.19 Alstom inaugurates the largest offshore wind turbine in the world

Alstom inaugurates the largest offshore wind turbine in the world, near Saint-Nazaire

On 19 March, Alstom inaugurated the largest offshore wind turbine in the world, at Carnet in the Loire-Atlantique. The ceremony was attended by Eric Besson, Minister of Industry, Energy and the Digital Economy, and Patrick Kron, Chairman and CEO of Alstom.

6 MW Haliade 150 wind turbine

Photographie publiée sur notre site avec l’aimable autorisation d’Alstom, reproduction interdite.
Photograph published on our site with courtesy of Alstom, reproduction prohibited.

The 6 MW Haliade 150 wind turbine has been developed in response to a call for tenders launched by the French government in July 2011 that aims to install 3 GW of wind turbine power off French shores by 2015. In preparation for its certification, the first Haliade 150 will undergo a series of year-long tests on land at the Carnet site, before a second turbine is placed in the sea off the Belgian coast in autumn 2012. Pre-series production is planned for 2013 with production in series due to start in 2014.

The Carnet site, located near Saint-Nazaire on the shores of the estuary, was chosen for its geological characteristics that are very similar to the submarine environment in which the wind turbines will eventually be installed. The 25 metre sub-structure (known as the jacket) was installed on pillars driven more than 30 metres into the ground on which the 75 metre high tower was then gradually mounted. The nacelle soars over the landscape 100 metres above the ground. The wind turbine and its support structure have a total combined weight of 1,500 tons.

Read the Press Release on Alstom website

Technical comments: The Haliade turbine is equiped with Alstom Pure Torque © device. 

Wind turbulence, wakes, etc, produce uneven load distribution on the rotor. Wind turbine must handle bending loads to protect the drive train.

In conventional wind turbines, the rotor is supported by the shaft bearing gearbox assembly. Bending loads are partially transmitted to the gearbox and may cause gearbox failures.

With Alstom Pure torque© device :

• The rotor is supported by a cast frame running through the hub,
• Bending loads are transferred directly to the tower,
• Torque is transmitted to the shaft through an elastic coupling at the front of the hub

The concept ensures:

• A higher reliability of drive train, particularly the gearbox,
• Reduced operating and maintenance costs over wind turbine lifetime.