Alstom has signed a contract with Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation (Eurus Energy) to supply ten ECO74 wind turbines each with an output of 1.67MW. The contract will include supervisions for installation and commissioning of the units at Kawazu on the east coast of Izu Peninsular in the Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan.
The 16.7MW wind farm will help Japan to achieve its aim of generating over 10% of its 2008 domestic electric power demand from wind power by 2050. Eurus Energy, the largest wind developer in Japan, already owns and operates over 2.2GW of wind capacity worldwide. Alstom has previously supplied ECO 74 wind turbines for Eurus Energy’s 10MW Satomi wind farm and will also supply 18MW turbines to the Higashi Izu II wind farm which is due to be commissioned in 2015.
The Alstom ECO turbine has a special torque design which shifts bending loads directly to the tower thereby allowing for higher reliability of the drive train with potentially reduced operation and maintenance costs over the turbine’s lifetime. For the Japanese market, Alstom has also adapted its turbines with seismic towers to improve stability in view of Japan’s seismic activity. So far, despite the strong typhoons that strike Japan, the ECO turbines have not been affected.
The Alstom ECO range with its Alstom Pure Torque ® design shifts bending loads directly to the tower, which allows for higher reliability of the drive train and potentially reduced operation and maintenance costs over the wind turbine lifetime. Alstom has adapted its turbine with seismic towers to improve availability in view of Japan’s seismic activity. In spite of strong typhoons that attack the country 3-5 times a year, the ECO wind turbines have not been affected.
“We are happy to be a part of Japan’s focus on renewable energy” said Alfonso Faubel, Senior Vice President of Alstom’s Wind Division. “This success is evidence that we are able to adapt our product to meet our customer’s needs as well as adhere to Japan’s strict building codes. We are pleased to continue our work with Eurus Energy in fulfilling Japan’s targets for wind energy.”
At present, with a population exceeding 127 million, Japan relies heavily on imported energy. In a bid to diversify its energy sources the country has recently increased its focus on renewables with an investment of Y 38 trillion (€300 million) in non-hydroelectric renewable energy and an additional Y 84 trillion (€665 million) in energy-efficient technology with an added focus on wind and solar over the next two decades. The long term aim is to grow wind capacity in the country to over 11GW by 2020 and over 50GW by 2050.
Japan, has a population exceeding 127 million. With its limited domestic energy sources, coupled with huge demand, Japan relies for 80% of its energy supply on foreign sources. In order to diversify its energy sources and focus on increasing domestic energy, Japan has recently increased its focus on renewable energy with the investment of Y 38 trillion (300 million euros) in non-hydroelectric renewable energy with an additional Y 84 trillion (665 million euros) in efficient-energy technology will see an added focus on wind and solar over the next two decades. Japan aims to grow its wind capacity to over 11 GW by 2020 to over 50 GW by 2050.
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