DeWind

DeWind Inc.

Type	Incorporated
Founded	1995
Headquarters	Lübeck, Irvine
Key people	Marvin W. Sepe
Products	Wind Turbines
Website	www.dewindco.com

DeWind is an internationally active producer of wind power plants, originating in Germany. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Irvine, California and Lübeck, Germany. DeWind has the legal form of a corporation, and, since Summer 2006, it is a subsidiary company of the Californian manufacturer of transmission and distribution cable products Composite Technology Corp. Managing director of the company is Marvin W. Sepe. Manufacturing takes place in Lübeck and Round Rock, Texas. DeWind GmbH filed for bankruptcy with the Lübeck bankruptcy court at the end of August 2008.^[1] DeWind Inc. announced to pay for the old debt of the German subsidiary.^[2]

More than 500 DeWind turbines have been erected world wide with a total capacity of over 500 MW.^[3]

Turbine Types

First produced wind turbine was the D4 1996 with a capacity of 500 kW (later 600 kW). In 1999, this turbine was followed by the D6 with 1 MW capacity. In 2000, the capacity of this plant was increased to 1.25 MW.^[4] After a development period of two years, in 2002 the D8 went into production with a capacity of 2 MW.^[5]

Already in the mid-nineties, the D4 was produced with active pitch regulation as well as a doubly fed induction generator. This technology proved itself and, therefore, was implemented in the following models D6 and D8. Especially advantageous are the decoupling of the rotational speed of the turbine rotor and the grid frequency. By using the inertia of the turbine rotor, it reduces mechanical loads on turbine components and prevents peaks in electricity feed-in.

The D8.2 has been developed based on the D8 and is in production since 2006. The plant has been equipped with a hydrodynamic windrive^[6] Gearbox. This allows the variation of the rotor speed independent of generator speed. A decoupling of generator rotation speed and grid frequency becomes redundant by this means. The synchronous generator of this turbine is coupled directly with the grid. The system is unique on the wind energy market. According to DeWind, it is advantageous regarding the quality of fed-in electricity as well as regaring behaviour in case of grid failure. Also, patents of the wind turbine producer GE Energy are not violated with this technology. The turbine is offered with 50 Hz as well as 60 Hz design.^[7]

Record-holding turbines

DeWind D8.2 2MW wind turbine at the Veladero mine in San Juan Province, Argentina

The world's highest wind turbine of company DeWind is located in the Andes/Argentina to 4,100 metres (13,500 ft) above sea level. Turbine type D8.2 - 2000 kW / 50 Hz was used for that site. This turbine has a new drive train concept with a special torque converter (WinDrive) of the company Voith and a synchronous generator. The WKA was put into operation in December 2007 and has supplied the Veladero gold mine of Barrick Gold with electricity since then.^[8][9][10]

See also

• Wind turbine
• List of wind turbine manufacturers

References

1. ^ Lübecker Nachrichten on September 2nd, 2008
2. ^ LN online September 2nd, 2008.
3. ^ Website Composite Technology Corporation
4. ^ Technical Data D6
5. ^ Technical Data D8
6. ^ Technical Data windrive
7. ^ Technical Data D8.2
8. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxYm2bWUdjo
9. ^ http://www.voithturbo.com/vt_en_pua_windrive_project-report_2008.htm
10. ^ "DeWind D8.2 HE 50Hz Veladero, Argentina" (PDF). DeWind. http://www.windfair.net/pdf/VTCW_DEWIND-report-Veladero_2009-01_en.pdf. Retrieved 2010-04-16. 

External links

• www.dewindco.com - DeWind Inc.
• TimeLapse video on YouTube showing construction of a DeWind turbine for Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater, Texas