SALZBERGEN, GERMANY---September 10, 2008---Faced with new and emerging standards for increased grid reliability, Iberdrola Renovables of Spain---the world's largest operator of wind farms---has selected GE Energy grid integration technology to upgrade its GE 1.5-megawatt turbines at wind farms in the Castilla La Mancha, Murcia and Rioja regions of Spain.
GE Energy will equip 290 GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines in the three regions with new GE frequency converters incorporating the company's proprietary low voltage ride-thru (LVRT) technology, which allows uninterrupted wind turbine operation through many types of grid disturbances.
"Spanish utilities have increased their requirements for wind energy," said Victor Abate, vice president-renewables for GE Energy. "Wind turbines without capabilities such as those provided by LVRT no longer qualify for special feed-in tariffs."
The project with Iberdrola Renovables will mark GE's first LVRT upgrade of wind turbines in Europe and GE's Spanish field operations team will do the installations.
"More and more utilities worldwide are adding wind to their power generation mix. With this increased level of wind power penetration into electric power networks, turbine manufacturers face more stringent transmission standards," said Abate. "GE's LVRT capability is one in a series of continuing technology advancements helping to move the global wind industry forward. It enables the turbines to meet transmission reliability standards similar to those demanded of thermal generators."
In the past, wind turbines were designed to trip off-line in the event of major system disturbances such as lightning strikes, equipment failures or downed power lines. This loss of generation impacted grid system stability and could lead to cascaded tripping and loss of revenue. Today, grid operators are requesting that wind farms ride through grid disturbances, remaining on-line to continue supporting the grid.
GE's LVRT technology is designed to deliver ride-through capability for up to 15 percent grid voltage for at least 500 milliseconds. The technology is part of the company's WindRIDE-THRU® family of products, which also includes zero voltage ride-thru. Both packages are designed to meet present and emerging grid reliability requirements worldwide.
Iberdrola Renovables' wind farms generate 7,608 megawatts of wind power worldwide and the company is building an additional 1,686 megawatts of wind power capacity. GE Energy is a leading supplier of wind turbines to Iberdrola Renovables. Earlier this year, Iberdrola Renovables announced it is purchasing an additional 200 GE 1.5-megawatt wind turbines capable of generating 300 megawatts of power, or enough to power 75,000 homes. Those turbines will be delivered in 2010.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.ge.com/energy) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with 2007 revenue of $22 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy works in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels. Numerous GE Energy products are certified under ecomagination, GE's corporate-wide initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that will help customers meet pressing environmental challenges.
With wind turbine design, manufacturing and assembly facilities in Germany, Spain, China, Canada and the United States, GE Energy is among the leading providers of wind energy products and support services ranging from commercial wind turbines and grid integration products to project development assistance and operation and maintenance. The company's knowledge base includes the development and/or installation of more than 8,600 wind turbines with a total rated output of more than 12,000 megawatts.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com.
Howard Masto
Masto Public Relations
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Ken Darling
Masto Public Relations
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1-518-786-6488
Frank Hoersting