Suzlon to introduce cost-saving hybrid towers

In the wind power business, it is axiomatic that the higher you go the more electricity you generate.

The larger the circle the blades sweep, the more they yield. But the problem is, as the height of the towers increases, the costs go up, too.

Wind turbine maker Suzlon Energy believes it has found a solution to this problem. The company has tested a hybrid tower with which it is possible to go higher, while keeping the costs the same.

The new machine that Suzlon will offer to the market will sit on a funky tower, but the company hopes its customers will love it because of better economics.

In power-producing windmills, the tower carries the weight of the nacelle — the box that sits on top, housing the turbine, generator and the hub to which the blades are attached.

Costs Bigger machines, of 2 MW capacity, have towers as high as 80-85 metres.

The towers cost about ₹1.3 crore, a tenth of the total cost of the system.

Suzlon says its hybrid tower would cost 15 per cent (₹20 lakh) less. On the other hand, it is possible to increase the height of the tower to generate 12-15 per cent more electricity. The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Kirti Vagadia, terms the new product a “game changer”, because the lower cost helps viability of the machines in less windy sites, where electricity generation is lower.

This makes it attractive for investors to put up wind farms in less windy geographies, too, such as Madhya Pradesh.

Rotor diameter Meanwhile, Suzlon’s European subsidiary, Senvion (formerly REpower) has developed a 6.2-MW offshore wind turbine whose blades sweep a 152- metre diameter circle. Senvion currently sells 6.2-MW machines whose ‘rotor diameter’ is 126 metres.

The company has sold 50 of these machines.

Vagadia says the new machine will give 20 per cent more electricity generation.

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