Vestas will soon be introducing a low-wind variant turbine suited for India’s wind market. The Denmark-headquartered company is also expanding its production footprint in the country.
Prototype installation is planned for the third quarter 2021, while serial production is expected by the first quarter of 2022.
The global demand for sustainable energy solutions in low and ultra-low wind areas continues to grow as renewable technology improves in efficiency and cost. This trend is especially prominent in India, the world’s fourth largest wind energy market, where the energy demand is expected to double and the government intends to add around 100 GW wind power in the predominantly low-wind market by 2030
To help meet the growing demand, Vestas is introducing the V155-3.3 MW turbine optimised for low and ultra-low wind conditions. The V155-3.3 MW was introduced by Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen in a recent meeting with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
While the new turbine is globally applicable, it initially targets low and ultra-low wind condition projects in India and USA. It increases the turbine swept area by 67 per cent in comparison to V120-2.2 MW, and with a large rotor to rating ratio, it significantly improves the partial load production in low-wind conditions.
The V155-3.3 MW improves the annual energy production (AEP) by more than 3 per cent for a 300-mw wind park with 46 fewer turbines, creating an improved level of business case certainty.
“With the introduction of the V155-3.3 MW wind turbine, Vestas is connecting our proven 4-MW platform technology with customised solutions to improve our customers’ business case in low and ultra-low wind conditions”, says Thomas Scarinci, Senior Vice President of Product Management Vestas.
Make in India
As the turbine will be predominantly locally manufactured and sourced in India, it reinforces Vestas’ existing commitment to the country’s growing renewable energy industry. Vestas will increase its already prominent manufacturing footprint in India by establishing a new converter factory in Chennai and expanding its current blade factory in Ahmedabad. These investments follow our previously announced new nacelle and hub factory in Chennai, which is currently under construction. The production ramp-up will add around 1,000 new jobs within the next year to the approximately 2,600 people currently working for Vestas in India.
The turbine will be predominantly locally manufactured and sourced in India.
While the expanded production setup in India will serve the growing wind market in the region, it will also act as a strategic export hub. “We have installed close to 4 GW of wind turbines in India over the last two decades and established a large production footprint, and we’re excited to leverage this as we support the government’s ambitions for renewable energy. With the introduction of the V155-3.3 MW turbine, we are able to offer improved energy production and business case certainty for our customers in India’s growing wind market”, says Clive Turton, President of Vestas Asia Pacific. “With the production ramp up in India, we anticipate increased employment across our existing hubs, underlining our commitment to better support our customers and drive the country’s renewable energy transition”.
Featured photograph (Source: Vestas A/S) shows a Vestas V126-3.3MW wind turbine installation in Denmark.
