Taller turbines can increase renewable energy production while lowering the cost of energy and optimising construction costs. The partners will produce a wind turbine prototype with a printed pedestal, and a production-ready printer and materials range to scale up production. The first prototype, a 10-meter high tower pedestal, was successfully printed in October 2019 in Copenhagen.

GE Renewable Energy will provide design, manufacture and commercialisation for the wind turbines, COBOD will focus on the robotics automation and 3D printing and LafargeHolcim will design the tailor-made concrete material, its processing and application.

Concrete 3D printing is a very promising technology for us, as its incredible design flexibility expands the realm of construction possibilities. Being both a user and promoter of clean energy, we are delighted to be putting our material and design expertise to work in this project.

Traditionally built in steel or precast concrete, wind turbine towers have typically been limited to a height of under 100 metres, as the width of the base cannot exceed the 4.5-meter diameter that can be transported by road, without excessive additional costs. Printing a variable height base directly on-site with 3D-printed concrete technology will enable the construction of towers up to 150 to 200 meters tall. Typically, a 5 MW turbine at 80 metres generates, yearly, 15.1 GWh. In comparison, the same turbine at 160 meters would generate 20.2 GWh, or more than 33% extra power.

The post GE to Make Taller Wind Turbines Using On-site 3D Printing appeared first on Composites Today.

GE is supplying 38 of the lightweight gas turbines to Austal USA for LCS Independence variants up to LCS 38. Like all the Austal USA-built LCS, the future USS Santa Barbara will be powered by two GE LM2500 gas turbines arranged in a combined diesel and gas turbine configuration with two diesel engines.

By using lightweight composites versus the steel enclosure predecessor, wall temperatures are 25oF to 50oF degrees cooler so there is less heat rejected into the engine room.

Kris Shepherd, Vice President and General Manager, GE Marine.

The modernisation program was a four-year collaborative effort with the U.S. Navy, Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, and GE.  Key GE strategic partners in this effort included: RL Industries, Fairfield, Ohio, for help in developing and qualifying the carbon fibre enclosure; and DRS Power Technology, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, a long-time GE Marine packaging partner, who helped lead the way in satisfying all first article inspection quality requirements and package assembly.

Changes to the LM2500 system include the composite module, components, and fewer shock mounts for weight reduction, all while leveraging the experience and loadings from previous LM2500 shock tests with running units. Components such as sensors, transducers, ice and flame detectors and the heater also were updated.

To date, GE has delivered gas turbines onboard 646 naval ships serving 35 navies worldwide and provides 97% of the commissioned propulsion gas turbines in the U.S. Navy fleet.

The post GE Marine Delivers First Composite Turbine Module for USS Santa Barbara appeared first on Composites Today.

The deal, which is expected to be worth $1.65 billion will improve GE’s ability to increase its energy output and create value for onshore and offshore customers. Since 2001, LM Wind Power has been owned by Doughty Hanson, a London-based private equity firm.

The acquisition is valued at 8.3 times pro forma earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) (2016 estimate). The transaction is subject to customary regulatory and governmental approvals and GE expects to close the transaction in the first half of 2017. GE expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings in 2018.

As the cost of electricity from renewable sources continues to decline and nations pursue low-carbon forms of energy, renewable sources are gaining share in power generation capacity. In 2015, approximately 50% of all new electricity capacity additions were renewable energy sources, with wind representing 35% of that growth.

Following the closing of the deal, GE intends to operate LM Wind Power as a standalone unit within GE Renewable Energy and will continue to fully support all industry customers with the aim of expanding these relationships. GE will also retain the ability to source blades from other suppliers. LM Wind Power will continue to be led by its existing management team and be headquartered in Denmark, where it also maintains a global technology centre.

The post GE to Acquire LM Wind Power appeared first on Composites Today.

Shorter wind turbine blades need stronger winds to turn them, so GE worked out a solution to make the existing blades longer, boosting green energy production by over 20%.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfwhWkzvm5Y

Because the blades are made from composite materials to reduce weight, the GE team found a way to cut a standard 37-metre blade roughly in half and insert a 7-metre blade extension. The research project has fetched 16 patent applications so far.

The extended blades have gone tough tests exceeding requirements set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), including static strength tests and fatigue tests totalling more than 6 million cycles.

GE has invested more than $2 billion in renewable energy R&D. The research includes projects like developing blades covered with “tensioned fabric” that could be assembled on location. The new design would cut moving costs and make it easier to transport large blades, which can already stretch half way across the football field.

The post GE Performs Surgery to Make Its Wind Blades Bigger appeared first on Composites Today.