ENERCON has completed the installation of the prototype of the E-160 EP5. The first system of the new low-wind variant of the EP5 platform was built in the Wieringermeer wind energy test field in the Netherlands.
After installing the first E-138 EP3 E2 at the end of March in Janneby / Schleswig-Holstein, this is already the second prototype project that ENERCON has successfully implemented under difficult corona conditions.
The E-160 EP5 is ENERCON’s new top model with the largest rotor diameter in the product portfolio. The nominal power is 4.6 MW. At locations with wind speeds of 7.5 m / s at hub height on average over the year, the turbine type will generate energy yields of more than 19,615 megawatt hours (MWh) per year.
The prototype at the Wieringermeer site was built on a modular steel tower (MST) with a hub height of 120 meters.
The E-160 EP5 is an important cornerstone of the new product and market strategy with which ENERCON intends to do more business than ever before in international business.
Much of the planned and negotiated projects worldwide are based on this new turbine. It completes ENERCON’s EP5 platform, which also includes the E-147 EP5 for locations with medium wind speeds and the E-136 EP5 for locations with strong winds.
Another evolutionary stage of the new system type is already under development with the E-160 EP5 E2. It marks a significant increase in performance compared to the E1: its nominal output increases to 5.5 MW, correspondingly the annual energy yield increases to more than 21,534 MWh under the same site conditions.
“Our striving for optimal ‘Cost of Energy’ values is substantiated in our product strategy. The E2 is our next good answer to the increasing CoE requirements of our customers. We expect great demand, especially in markets that are heavily cost-driven.”
ENERCON CTO Jörg Scholle.
The installation of the E2 prototype is scheduled for the end of 2020.
