Enercon

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Enercon GmbH
GmbH
Industry Wind power industry
Founded 1984 (1984)
Founder Aloys Wobben
Headquarters Aurich, Germany
Key people
 Hans-Dieter Kettwig (Managing Director)
Products Wind turbines
Number of employees
 ~13,000
Website www.enercon.de

Enercon GmbH, based in Aurich, Lower Saxony, Germany, is the fourth-largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world and has been the market leader in Germany since the mid-nineties.[1] Enercon has production facilities in Germany (Aurich, Emden and Magdeburg), Sweden, Brazil, India, Canada, Turkey and Portugal. In June 2010, Enercon announced that they would be setting up Irish headquarters in Tralee.[2]

As of July 2011, Enercon had installed more than 22,000 wind turbines, with a power generating capacity exceeding 32.9 GW.[3] The most-often installed model is the E-40, which pioneered the gearbox-less design in 1993.[4] As of July 2011, Enercon has a market share of 7.2% world-wide (fifth-highest) and 59.2% in Germany.[5]

Currently Enercon supplies wind turbines to the British electricity company Ecotricity, including one billed as the UK's most visible turbine, an E-70 at Green Park Business Park.[6][7]

Technologies

File:Enercon Verwaltung.jpg
Enercon Headquarter in Aurich

One of Enercon's key innovations is the use of a gearless, direct drive mechanism, used in combination with an annular generator.[8] This is in contrast to most wind turbines, which use a potentially less reliable gearbox in order to increase the rotation speed of the generator. Other differences in Enercon's wind turbines are their distinctive drop-shaped generator housings (designed by Lord Norman Foster) and their towers, which are painted with green rings at the base to blend with their surroundings.

In 2002, the first Enercon E-112 prototype was installed in Egeln, Germany, with a power rating of 4.5 MW.[4] From July 2002 to October 2004, it was the biggest wind turbine in the world, until it was surpassed by the REpower 5M.[9][10] At the end of 2005, the E-112 was upgraded to achieve a 6 MW power rating.[4]

In 2008, the first E-126 turbines (successor of the E-112) were installed at various sites throughout Germany and Belgium, including the Estinnes wind farm (consisting of eleven E-126 turbines) in Belgium.[11] Although the E-126 turbine was initially developed with a power rating of 6 MW, it has since been upgraded to 7.5 MW. The E-82 turbine was also upgraded and is available in 2, 2.3, and 3 MW versions.[12]

Currently Enercon does not offer or supply wind turbines to offshore projects and has at times expressed skepticism about offshore wind parks.[13] Enercon was rumored to have been ready to supply turbines to Germany's Alpha Ventus offshore wind farm and to a near-shore park near Wilhelmshaven but did not do so.[14]

Turbines

Model Number Rated Power Output Rotor Diameter (meters) Hub Height (meters) Notes Source(s)
(E-15/16) 55 kW 15 Developed 1984, no longer available [4][15][16]
(E-17) 80 kW 17 Developed and installed 1988, no longer available [4][17]
(E-32) 100 - 300 kW 32 Developed and installed 1988, no longer available [4][18]
E-33 330 kW 33.4 37, 44, 50 [4][19]
(E-40) 500 - 600 kW 40 First gearless drive, no longer available [4][20][21]
E-44 900 kW 44 45, 55 [4][19]
E-48 800 kW 48 50, 55, 56, 60, 65, 76 [4][19]
E-53 800 kW 52.9 60, 73 Prototype developed 2006 [4][19]
(E-66) 1.5 MW - 2.0 MW 66 & 70 Prototype developed 1995, no longer available
E-70 2.3 MW 71 57, 58, 64, 70, 74.5, 84, 98, 113 Direct drive [4][19]
E-82 2 MW 82 78, 84, 98, 108 Direct drive [4][19]
E-82 2.3 MW 82 78, 84, 98, 108, 138 Direct drive [4][19]
E-82 3 MW 82 78, 84, 98, 108, 138 Direct drive [4][19]
E-92 2.3 MW 92 84, 98, 108, 138 Direct drive
 [22]
E-101 3 MW 101 99, 135, 149 Direct drive
Prototype installed June 2011		 [4][19]
(E-112) 4.5 - 6 MW 112 & 114 108, 124 Replaced by E-126, no longer available [4][23][24]
E-115 3.0 MW 115 92.5-149 Direct drive [25]
E-126 6 MW, now 7.5 MW 126 135 Prototype developed October 2007 [4][19]

Patent dispute

Enercon was prohibited from exporting their wind turbines to the US until 2010 due to alleged infringement of U.S. Patent 5,083,039 .[26][27] In a dispute before the United States International Trade Commission, Enercon did not challenge the validity of the US patent but argued that their technology was not affected. The ITC decided that the patent covered the technology in question and banned Enercon turbines from the US market until 2010.[28] Later on, a cross patent agreement was made with the competitor General Electric, the successor of Kenetech, after similar claims of Enercon against GE. According to a NSA employee detailed information concerning Enercon was passed on to Kenetech via ECHELON. The aim of the alleged espionage against Enercon was the forwarding of details of Wobben's generator technology to a US firm.[29] However, the patent in question was registered in 1991, three years prior to the alleged espionage event.[28]

Gallery

  • Cuxhaven groesste windkraftwerk.jpg

    E-112 at Cuxhaven

  • E-66 at Swaffham's Ecotech centre, with observation deck below the nacelle

  • Hohe Schaar-Hafen 4.jpg

    Brown meets green: Enercon wind turbines at oil refinery

  • Enercon E32 Windenergieanlage.jpg

    E-32 on the North Sea coast

  • Tocco da Casauria Wind Farm Published on New York Times.JPG

    Enercon E-48 in the Wind Farm near the Medieval village of Tocco da Casauria in Italy.

  • Fera Wind Farm in Stella, Savona, Italy, with Enercon E-48.jpg

    Wind farm with 3 Enercon E-48 in Stella, Liguria, Italy

  • Enercon E-112

  • E82 Ingersheim 06052012.JPG

    Enercon E-82

  • DE 049 010 20091109004806 001 Enercon.jpg

    Enercon E-82

  • Göslow Enercon E-101.JPG

    Enercon E-101

  • Enercon E 126 Schneebergerhof 08072011 2.JPG

    Enercon E-126

Estinnes windfarm

11x E126 Estinnes windfarm Belgium july 2010, two months before completion, see unique 2 part blades
11x E126 7+MW turbines Estinnes windfarm Belgium 10 October 2010, after completion
11x E126 7+MW turbines Estinnes windfarm Belgium 10 October 2010, after completion

See also

References

  1. ↑ Simon, Hermann: Hidden Champions of the 21st Century : Success Strategies of unknown World Market Leaders. London: Springer, 2009.- ISBN 978-0-387-98147-5
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ http://www.enercon.de/p/downloads/WB_01-2012_en_web.pdf
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ E-115 / 2,500 kW
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Report of U.S. International Trade Commission
  29. ↑ Echelon Rapport, EU Parliament

External links

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