Sinovel, China’s largest wind turbine manufacturer and one of the top five wind turbine manufacturers in the world, has commissioned American Superconductor to produce and supply it with electrical control systems for its new giant 5-MW wind turbine (branded the SL5000).
American Superconductor’s wind turbine electrical control systems and core electrical components include the company's proprietary PowerModule™ power converters, pitch and yaw converters, SCADA systems and other power electronics. They enable reliable, high-performance wind turbine operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency.
Sinovel expects to have its first 5-MW wind turbines erected within the next 12 months and to commence full production of the wind turbines in 2011. Sinovel’s SL5000 will be China’s largest and most powerful domestically produced wind energy system.
“Sinovel is a juggernaut in the wind industry with tremendous experience manufacturing turbines with the most advanced technology,” said American Superconductor’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, Greg Yurek. “Building on the strength of the company’s 1.5-MW and 3-MW platforms, the production of the higher power-rated SL5000 systems positions Sinovel as a technology leader globally.”
In 2009, Sinovel shipped approximately 2,400 1.5-MW wind turbines and approximately 100 3-MW wind turbines, or approximately 3,900 MW of wind power equipment. Each of these wind turbines contained core electrical components from American Superconductor, which also offers a host of Smart Grid technologies for power grid operators that enhance the reliability, efficiency and capacity of the grid, and seamlessly integrate renewable energy sources into the power infrastructure.
China’s wind power market experienced another record year of growth last year, more than doubling its wind generating capacity from 12.1 GW in 2008 to 25.1 GW at the end of 2009, according to the Global Wind Energy Council. Industry research firm Emerging Energy Research (EER) expects China’s total installed capacity to exceed 200 GW by 2020.
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