GE’s (NYSE: GE) 1000th 2.5 MW series wind turbine is being delivered to CEZ Romania, where it will be used in the 600-MW Fantanele/Cogealac wind farm, Europe’s largest onshore wind project.
As of today, GE’s 2.5-MW series wind turbines have been installed in 19 countries—14 in Europe—and have tallied up over 7 million hours of operation. The total installed capacity exceeded 2 GW earlier this year, enough for 1.4 million European households.
From GE’s press release:
“Today’s milestone demonstrates the strong global acceptance of the 2.5-MW family of wind turbines,” said Victor Abate, vice president of renewable energy at GE. “We will continue to work with our customers as we invest in the next generation of wind turbine technology to power the world into the future.”
The 2.5 series includes the 2.5-88, 2.5-100, 2.5-103, 2.75-100, and 2.75-103 models, which are designed for a range of wind conditions and high-efficiency functionality. These turbines have larger rotors, higher towers, and the hubs are taller than previous models—all of which increase overall efficiency.
GE supplied 240 of the turbines to the Romanian project.
Aside from the Romanian installation, these turbines are also in use at the 845-MW Shepherds Flat facility in Oregon, developed by the U.S. firm Caithness Energy. The facility can supply clean power to around 235,000 domestic households.
