Overview

The innovative design introduces flexibility into the overall structure. Compared to traditional designs this significantly lowers fatigue due to shock loads. Flexibility allows the blades together with the hub to teeter ±2º. The yaw system is designed to provide a soft and damped connection between the nacelle and the tower.

The turbine operates at a rotor speed frequency above the lowest tower resonance increasing overall longevity due to this flexible design.



The flexible design lessens the impact of both turbulant wind speeds and repetitive wind shear. The flexible design eliminates oscillations in the structure. The design also lowers the weight of the installation by up to 40% over traditional designs.

The design has the ability to passively turn into the wind direction especially at higher wind speeds. Included with the passive yaw capability, there is also a traditional active yaw control, that is activated should passive yawing react too slowly compared to the change in wind direction as measured by the onboard wind vane.

The layout of the nacelle provides a 0.8m wide passage all around the machinery, which makes servicing and maintenance efficient.

A 2-blade turbine requires less blade material (glass fiber & polyester), it is also easier to assemble. The blades are mounted to the hub at ground level and the completed assembly is then lifted to the top of the tower as a unit.

For 3-bladed turbines, the rotor or the blades have to be lifted separately. These extra lifts are more susceptible to wind action due to the larger exposed area. The GC China rotor and nacelle assembly can therefore be lifted at higher wind speeds and thereby reduces the expense of having to wait for calmer wind conditions.

The main gear has proven reliability. The first machines in Denmark have been in operation since 1995, proving the total product to be thoroughly tested with very few faults, delivering excellent quality and high availability over a lenghty period of operation.

The generator is a one-speed induction generator with a fixed slip of 3% to enhance power quality. The rated output is 1000kW, at 690 volts and 50hz Frequency. The rated speed is 1545 RPM with a power factor of 0.98-1.