It is by far the biggest wind turbine to be offered for sale in India. Siemens Gamesa on Thursday launched a 3.4 MW machine, which it says is suitable for sites that are not so windy. The machine, therefore, would open up new sites for setting up wind farms—sites that were hitherto considered not economically viable because of lower wind speeds.

The notable feature of the machine is its 71-metre-long blade. The longer the blades, the bigger the area they sweep, and the bigger the swept area the greater the potential for producing electricity.

“The turbine is designed to adapt to India’s extreme and varying weather conditions supported by an advanced monitoring and cooling system, which ensures efficient thermal conditioning and performance at high-temperature sites,” says a statement from the company.

But how on the earth would the company transport 71-metre-long blades through possible curvy roads? Siemens Gamesa India’s CEO, Navin Dewaji, told BusinessLine on Thursday that the company had studied the potential sites on which these machines could be set up and found that the routes to these sites could allow such long blades to be taken across.

The 3.4 MW machine is substantially manufactured in India, at the company’s nacelle plant at Mamandur, near Chennai.

“The long-term fundamentals of the wind industry remain strong and this new turbine means Siemens Gamesa is uniquely positioned to help our customers achieve their renewable energy goals, reinforce our leading position in the market and accelerate the cause for renewables,” Alfonso Faubel, CEO, Siemens Gamesa Onshore, said in the press release.

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