|
|
|
February 01, 2009
Superconductor Generators For Wind
American Superconductor is making 100 superconducting generator sets for China. DEVENS, Mass. --Jan. 22, 2009--American Superconductor Corporation, a leading energy technologies company, today announced that it has received a multi-million-dollar order for 100 sets of its wind turbine core electrical components from China's CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute Co.(CSR-ZELRI), Ltd. The company will use the components in 1.65 megawatt (MW) wind turbines designed by AMSC's wholly owned AMSC Windtec™ subsidiary. Under the terms of the contract, AMSC expects to ship all of the core electrical components by the end of calendar 2009 to support CSR-ZELRI's increased production of wind turbines.The advantage of superconducting generators is that they weigh less. And the less the weight at the top of the tower the less material that is needed to make the tower. Doing more with less. Since capital costs are a very big component of the cost of wind energy lowering them lowers the cost of wind energy. China has big plans for wind. According to the Chinese Wind Energy Association [written in Chinese], China will grow its base of wind power from 5.9 gigawatts (GW) at the end of 2007 to more 10 gigawatts in 2008. In its Global Wind Energy Outlook 2008 report, the Global Wind Energy Council estimates that China's installed base could grow to 101 GW by 2020 under its "moderate" outlook scenario and 201 GW under its "advanced" scenario.I think you have to divide those numbers by 3 to get the average power output. So 101 GW installed is equal to about 33 - 1 GW coal or nuclear plants. Not bad. According to the Global Wind Energy Outlook 2008 report about 30% of the US investment in new electrical generating capacity is going into wind. And Turkey is ordering wind turbines like crazy. Wind is an excellent hedge against rising natural gas prices as the two types of generation are complimentary. Cross Posted at Power and Control Update: 02 Feb. 2009 02:41z Commenter Keith at Power and Control says there are no superconductors involved. He is right. I let my wishful thinking run away with me. He does say AMSC is developing a 10 MW generator for offshore wind. Something I would not have known without my error. A 10 MW job is just about the limit with current blade technology. So that is very welcome news. posted by Simon on 02.01.09 at 08:47 AM
Comments
Doesn't the cooling add considerable weight to the generator? Also, how does the weight of the generator compare with the weight of the blades? david foster · February 1, 2009 06:11 PM Cooling does not weigh much. The main cost is power about 10 KW (IIRC). M. Simon · February 1, 2009 06:52 PM Post a comment
You may use basic HTML for formatting.
|
|
February 2009
WORLD-WIDE CALENDAR
Search the Site
E-mail
Classics To Go
Archives
February 2009
January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 May 2002 AB 1634 MBAPBSAAGOP Skepticism See more archives here Old (Blogspot) archives
Recent Entries
• Stagflation And Inconvenient Debt
• Atlas Is Shrugging • Superconductor Generators For Wind • Obama's Plan For Failure • First The Spending Then The Plan • Rushing To Get A BiPartisan Stimulus • Polywell Fusion - Keeping It Alive • What Next For Polywell Fusion? • Strange Attractors • Polywell Fusion
Links
Site Credits
|
|
Wind turbine machine cost is only part of the overall cost. Add to that the cost of upgrading access to the site - ie, new culverts and roadbed for County Road 347 - plus the individual access roads for maintenance plus the power collection grid and maybe a substation. Lighter weight may at least reduce cost of those public road upgrades.
Nothing is likely to reduce the cost (in the US) of schmoozing the regulators and NIMBYs.