Company Announcement - • Siemens' new Model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine
• New generation of proven direct-drive D3 product platform
• Generator, rotor hub, nacelle, yaw drive and cooling system reworked

A growing number of onshore wind farms throughout the world are being sited in regions with moderate to low wind speeds. To this end, Siemens is responding to this trend with its new Model SWT-3.3-130 wind turbine premiered at Windaba 2014, the annual conference and exhibition for the South African industry. 

Delivering 3.3 megawatts, this wind power unit extracts the maximum energy yield from low to moderate wind velocities. With its rotor measuring 130 meters in diame-ter, this giant unit will be available in early 2017.  Tom Pedersen, Vice President Wind & Renewables Power Siemens Southern & Eastern Africa says: “Windaba is indeed a good platform for us to launch our new product for our African market. Siemens highly values the relationship with the con-tinent and we are committed to a diversified product portfolio to meet different cus-tomer needs in our market.”

Siemens has injected over five years of pertinent experience gained from its D3 plat-form into the new SWT-3.3-130. This has enabled engineers to further optimize the core components: In the new unit, the direct-drive PMG generator operates with even stronger permanent magnets to further enhance output. The designs of the nacelle bedplate yaw drive and other components important to unit statics have been strengthened to accommodate the new 130- meter-long rotor.

The SWT-3.3-130 uses B63 blades measuring 63 meters in length. These aeroelas-tically tailored blades limit the static loading of the nacelle and tower, particularly under turbulent wind conditions, as the blade ends act to cushion and absorb high wind pressure and gusts. Further innovations featured in the SWT-3.3-130 include a newly designed cooling system that has now been integrated into the nacelle and ensures optimum cooling of the generator and other electrical components. Thanks to its reworked technology and 130-meter rotor, this new unit exceeds the annual energy yield of the previous D3-series wind turbine (SWT-3.0-113 / SWT-3.2-113) by approximately 17 to 20 percent.

“With this wind turbine we have once again maximized the performance reserves which Siemens’ D3 platform offers with its direct-drive PMG generator. We are con-fident that this new product will be embraced by our customers. This product may  well set new standards for economic efficiency, energy yield and reliability,” con-cludes Pedersen.  Wind power and the associated service activities are part of Siemens’ Environ-mental Portfolio. Around 43 percent of the company's revenues are generated by green products and solutions. That makes Siemens one of the world’s leading pro-viders of eco-friendly technology.