According to the company, at the core of its European expansion plans is the development of a 4MW wind turbine designed specifically for offshore deployment. The wind turbine will incorporate advanced drive train and control technologies gained through GE’s acquisition of ScanWind.
The turbine will feature GE’s technology that eliminates the need for gearboxes. This technology is already being demonstrated at a test site in Hundhammerfjellet, Norway, where the first ScanWind direct drive unit has been operating for approximately five years.
GE plans to create a new offshore technology development center in Oslo, Norway, and will expand its demonstration unit production and service facilities in Verdal. In Sweden, the company will expand its current offshore wind facilities by developing a conceptual and systems design center in Karlstad. A technology demonstration unit is planned to be installed in Gothenburg harbor, and GE will also join the Chalmers Wind Energy Center in Gothenburg.
A new engineering center in Hamburg, Germany, will feature product development, application engineering and advanced technology, GE said. The company also plans to expand its resources at its existing wind turbine manufacturing facility in Salzbergen, as well as the GE Global Research Center in Munich.
The company plans to establish its offshore wind turbine manufacturing in the UK. In addition, GE will locate application and service engineering resources in the country, and will bring partners and suppliers of towers, blades, nacelles and other offshore wind components to the manufacturing facility.
