This week: Canada - DeWind to Replace Blades at 10 MW Wind Farm

DeWind Co, a US based manufacturer of wind turbines, has initiated the replacement of blades for five wind turbines at the Wind Energy Institute of Canada (Institute) Wind Energy R&D Park on Prince Edward Island, Canada, north of the community of Tignish.

DeWind’s machines were selected for their unique generating qualities to be paired with ongoing research at the Wind Energy Institute of Canada including turbine testing and utility scale storage.

With the Institute’s focus on research, the project will add to Canada’s understanding of the production, operation, storage and installation of small and large wind energy technologies.

DeWind provided five 2 MW D9.2 Wind Turbines which operated for a short time and issues were detected with the blades. After inspections and attempts to repair the blades it was decided by both parties that the blades should be replaced.

Young Jae Choi, President and COO of DeWind, commented, “We have made the commercial decision to replace the Institute’s blades after initial operation indicated a quality problem that could potentially impact the operational life of those machines.”

“As you would expect from an organization of DeWind and DSME’s stature, they are standing behind their project obligations,” stated Scott Harper, the Institute’s CEO. “We appreciate their continued support as we move forward with our Wind Energy R&D Park and Storage System project.”

The Institute’s 10 MW site, located near the northern-most point of the island, is an ideal aggressive wind regime to showcase the latest enhancements to the 2MW platform which DeWind has been building since 2002. Currently, DeWind 2 MW turbines are installed and operating in numerous locations in Europe, Asia, South America and the US.

About The Institute: The Wind Energy Institute of Canada (Institute) is a not-for-profit research and development institution which has been working in wind energy development since formation as the Atlantic Wind Test Site (AWTS) in 1981. The Institute works with private sector clients, governments, academics and other NGO’s on research, development and demonstration projects, testing of wind turbines for the purpose of certification, and other initiatives to advance the development of wind energy technologies.

About DeWind Co:

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd (DSME) (SEO: 042660). DeWind Co designs, produces and sells multi-megawatt wind turbines, including the 2 MW D9.2 model available in 60 Hz configuration, and the 2 MW D9.1 model in 50 Hz configuration. The D9.2 utilizes the advanced WinDrive(R) hydrodynamic torque converter developed by Voith AG, in combination with a fixed speed synchronous high voltage AC generator which can be connected directly to the grid without power conversion electronics.

About DSME:

Established in 1973, dsmeis the world’s second largest shipbuilder. The DSME product portfolio includes commercial ships such as LNG carriers, oil tankers, containerships, LPG carriers, pure car carriers, offshore structures such as FPSO (Floating Production Storage & Offloading) vessels, drilling rigs, drill ships and fixed platforms; and naval vessels including submarines, destroyers, rescue ships and patrol boats.