American Superconductor Corp (NASDAQ: AMSC) and TECO-Westinghouse Motor Company, a leading manufacturer of motors and generators, have formed a research joint venture to develop high temperature superconductor (HTS) and related technologies for high-power, direct drive wind generators for offshore wind farms.
Direct drive wind generator systems using HTS wire instead of copper wire for the generator’s rotor are expected to be much smaller, lighter and more efficient than conventional generators and gearboxes. The net effect is expected to be a lower cost of wind generated electricity, particularly for offshore wind farms.
AMSC and TWMC received an award from the National Institute of Science and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP), which is providing $3.4 million in funding toward the $6.8 million research project to be conducted under the joint venture.
“The objective of the TWMC-AMSC research joint venture is to develop technologies that will enable the deployment of offshore 10 megawatt class, direct drive wind generators – double the power capacity of conventional systems,” said AMSC founder and CEO Greg Yurek. “The result will be more power delivered from each offshore wind turbine, which would significantly reduce the total costs of offshore wind farms.”
According to BTM Consult ApS, the installed base of offshore wind generated electricity at the end of 2006 was approximately 877 megawatts (MW), representing approximately one percent of the world’s wind power capacity. By 2011, BTM predicts this figure will increase to 7,606 MW, representing 8% of wind power capacity worldwide. Research firm Douglas-Westwood expects there will be $11.8 billion in offshore wind power capital expenditure over the next five years.
Wind generators up to 5 MW are now being sold commercially on the market. However, higher power systems have not been introduced due primarily to generator weight and cost limits.
Lower weight HTS direct drive generator systems are expected to provide more power in a smaller package for about the same cost as conventional direct drive generators. By replacing copper with HTS on the generator’s rotor and utilizing a new high-efficiency stator design to be developed under this project, AMSC and TWMC estimate that they could produce 10 MW class direct drive generator systems that would weigh approximately 120 metric tons, or about one-third the weight of conventional direct drive generators with this power rating. Technically, weight reductions could be greater, albeit at a higher cost, giving wind energy system manufacturers and developers new options to design and deploy cost-effective offshore wind farms.
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