A leading, undisclosed, European producer of wind energy systems has placed an order with Maxwell Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: MXWL) for 3 million BOOSTCAP® BCAP0350 E “D cell” ultracapacitors to provide backup power for wind turbine blade pitch systems.
Alain Riedo, senior vice president and general manager of Maxwell’s Swiss subsidiary, Maxwell Technologies SA, noted that the order, which is expected to be drawn down over two years, is for double the quantity of the company’s previous largest D cell order, a 1.5 million-cell order for a wind energy application in February 2006.
The ultracapacitors are used for backup energy storage and power delivery in wind turbines ranging in output up to 2.5 MW. Each of the turbines’ three blades has an independent braking and pitch adjustment mechanism incorporating a bank of 200-700 BOOSTCAP cells for backup power to ensure continuous operation in the event of a power failure.
As megawatt-class wind installations account for a ever-greater share of new wind capacity, ultracapacitors are increasingly be used for their high reliability and long operating lifetime.
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