Alstom and Energias de Portugal Renovaveis inaugurate the first wind farm to be equipped with the ecotècnia 100, the worlds most powerful onshore wind turbine

Alstom Power and Energias de Portugal Renovaveis (EDPR) have started up the worlds first wind farm to use the ecotècnia 100 wind turbine, designed and installed by Alstom Power on behalf of EDPR. The site, at Vieux Moulin near Pithiviers in France, is the 12th wind farm to be fitted out by Alstom Power in France, and is due operational in mid-October 2009. 

The ecotècnia 100 wind turbines have the characteristics described below.

• Power
  Each unit is 140 metres high, the equivalent of a 50 storey building, with a rotor diameter of 100 metres and a blade length of 48.8 metres. The design enables maximum benefit to be derived from the wind, including moderate winds, and can withstand wind speeds of up to 8.5 metres/sec.
• Performance
  nominal power of 3 MW, twice the output of previously designed machines.
• Reliability and longevity
  Alstom Power teams have worked to produce a unique stress-reducing design, Alstom Pure Torque, that protects the gearbox and boosts reliability.
• Ease of maintenance
  The unprecedented design of the nacelle gives easier access for the technical staff, thus facilitating equipment maintenance.

The ecotècnia 100 wind turbines deliver enough power to allow a given number of MW to be produced with fewer units, thus reducing the land area required.

The electricity generated by Vieux Moulin wind farm will meet the needs of 12,000 homes and avoid the production of 42,000 tonnes a year of CO2 (source: European Wind Energy Association).

Alstoms investment in R&D has enabled the group to develop a wind-power technology that gives our customers better availability of the equipment over the long term. It also enables us to meet the current needs of the European market and, in the future, those of the world market, says Philippe Cochet, Alstom Winds Senior Vice President.

Alstom is continuing its research on this new generation of wind turbines, which includes the development of the ecotècnia 110 model, due to come onto the market in 2010.

Pithiviers lies in Frances Essonne valley, where average recorded wind speeds are 7.5 metres/sec and nearly 20 wind-farm sites lie within a 50 km radius. The countrys Centre region is one of the three largest regions in France in terms of wind-generated electricity production, and its installed capacity is 423 MW, behind only Picardy (555 MW) and Lorraine (481 MW), according to ADEME, Frances Environment and Energy Management Agency.

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