MHI Vestas Chooses US-University for Offshore Wind Turbine Testing

New York / South Carolina, USA - MHI Vestas Offshore Wind and Clemson University in South Carolina announced that the world’s most powerful wind turbine (the V164-9.5 MW) will have all testing and verification of the wind turbine’s gearbox and main bearings carried out at the University’s state-of-the-art 15 MW test bench. The V164-9.5 MW wind turbine is the turbine most likely to be used for the first round of major offshore wind projects in the United States.

According to MHI Vestas the testing allows the company to gain a better understanding of how the 9.5 MW gearbox and bearings will react over the course of a 20+ year lifecycle. Through the utilization of big data from the test results, MHI Vestas can optimize the service strategy for the turbine to ensure optimum reliability and minimize the fatigue on components.

The deal with Clemson University marks MHI Vestas Offshore Wind’s first major investment in the United States, catapulting the U.S. into an exposed position in offshore wind as the country will now be testing the world’s most powerful wind turbine. It is anticipated that visitors from around the world will come to Clemson to see the test setup.

In November 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded Clemson University in South Carolina the largest grant in the university’s history to build and operate a facility to test next-generation wind-turbine drivetrain technology. The 82,000-square-foot facility was designed to house not only the wind-turbine drivetrain testing facility, but also grid integration studies. Space in the Energy Innovation Center is designed for public-private partnerships to house Clemson University personnel and students with company partners. Drivetrains can be tested on two test rigs: one up to 7.5 megawatts and the other up to 15 megawatts. The $98 million testing facility was funded by a $45 million Energy Department grant and matched by $53 million of public and private funds. The grant’s objective is to accelerate development of new technology for the wind market to reduce the cost of energy. The facility’s mission is to provide high value, high quality and cost-competitive testing services to industry, and to establish long-term workforce development, research and education partnerships.

“Clemson’s facilities are second-to-none and will enable MHI Vestas to accelerate their technology to the market and usher in a new source of renewable energy vital to our energy future,” said Randy Collins, the university’s associate vice president in Charleston. “Not only will this work advance wind turbine technology, it will propagate over into the education of our students and advancement of scientific knowledge. It is a true win-win for our respective institutions.”

Source: IWR Online, Oct 10 2017