Success Story: Windtest Grevenbroich Celebrates 25 Years of Test Field Operation For Wind Turbines

Grevenbroich, Germany - 25 years ago, on June 1, 1998, Windtest Grevenbroich Gmbh (WTG) put the Dewind D4 prototype into operation on its test field south of Grevenbroich. Today, WTG can look back on a 25-year history of the test field for wind turbines.

Since its commissioning, a total of 18 prototypes of state-of-the-art wind turbines have been tested and measured on the Neurather Höhe, WTG announced.

Prototypes with rated outputs of between 10 kW and 5.5 MW have been erected on the 1.4 km² wind turbine test field and measured in accordance with international guidelines. After usually seven years of operation, the wind turbines are dismantled and replaced by new prototypes.

Currently, a Nordex N131, a Siemens SWT-2.3 with ATS tower, a Vensys 120, an eviag ev2.93, an Enercon E160 and a wind turbine with vertical rotor from Agile Windpower are located on the test field.

For 25 years, the test field in Grevenbroich, North Rhine-Westphalia, has thus been a pioneer for technical innovations and a beacon for the energy industry. "For example, the first Nordex N80 2.5 MW was erected on our test field in 2000. At that time, the most powerful onshore wind turbine in the world. In the same year, the GE 1.5 WTG was put into operation. To this day, one of the most frequently erected onshore WTGs worldwide", says Monika Krämer, Managing Director of Windtest Grevenbroich GmbH.

The test field in Grevenbroich is one of only a few inland locations in Germany where turbine manufacturers can measure their turbines for type certification. Starting in 2010, WTG successfully operated another test field in Lelystad, the Netherlands, for eight years in cooperation with Ecofys WTTS. Further test fields in Europe and the USA are being planned.

Source: IWR Online, Sep 09 2023