Operational challenges in manufacturing a 6MW Direct Drive wind turbine offshore prototype

摘要

Reducing the cost of offshore wind power requires the development of a new generation of direct drive offshore wind turbines that reach new extremes in component dimensions. These create a whole set of new logistic and manufacturing challenges that the industry needs to address. The operational experience in manufacturing a 6MW prototype incorporating these large components will be discussed. A temporary assembly process used for the demonstration phase is presented. Based on the above, the paper concludes on the optimal serial manufacturing process and provides a selection of conditions for an industrial site.