Suzlon Group to unveil latest low-wind 1.5 MW turbine in India

SUZLON

Suzlon Group to unveil latest low-wind 1.5 MW turbine in India

Greentech Lead India: Suzlon Energy, a wind turbine
manufacturer, would launch its latest 1.5 MW range turbine S8X for the Indian
market.

The new range is the next generation low-wind turbine
focused on harnessing Class III, low-wind sites.

The new turbine is designed to offer cost effective power
generation even at low wind speeds, therefore, increasing the size of the
market and making wind power projects even more financially competitive than
they are today. The S8X is scheduled for launch in 2012.

The new turbine is designed with advanced rotors, with
diameters of 86.5 and 89 meters, and a lower height of 90 meters, which will
bring improvements in energy yields of between 15 to 20 percent over the current
S82 – 1.5 MW offering in low wind conditions. It is designed to operate in high
temperature, and to meet the current and future grid requirements in India.

The company said the turbine is an evolution of the
proven S82 – 1.5 MW platform, with around 2,400 MW in installations delivering
97 percent plus availability (uptime).

The new design incorporates several key features from the
S9X suite of turbines, helping to achieve reliability, improved power output,
safety and lightening protection. Like the S9X, the new turbine offers an
improved pitch and yaw system, hub assembly, main frame and other key
components, ensuring easier maintenance, greater reliability and higher uptime.

“This marks an extremely important step forward in
our product strategy. The S8X builds on our extensive operating experience
without successful S82 – 1.5 MW fleet in some of the most challenging
environments in the world. The development program drew extensively on feedback
from our key customer groups – primarily PSUs and IPPs in India – to create a
product that meets their current and future needs, and provides consistently
improving returns on investment,” said Suzlon Energy President-Technology
John O’Halloran.

As the Indian wind market continues to grow at over 40
percent per annum, the S8X will be a game changer in the high-growth 1.5 MW
segment – delivering higher reliability, uptime, energy production and
ultimately greatly improved returns on investment to customers over it
lifecycle.

“The S8X represents our relentless commitment to
continuously improve our products and services to meet the exact needs of our
customers, today and in the future,” said Suzlon Group Chairman Tulsi
Tanti.

Suzlon subsidiary bags Rs 367 crore contract from wind turbine
manufacturer

Suzlon Energy announced that its subsidiary Seforge has
signed a purchase agreement with a wind turbine manufacturer for the supply of
machined tower flanges, used for wind towers, over a period of three years. The
Rs 367 crore ($75 million) contract includes supply of flanges for wind turbine
towers for projects in India and international markets.

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