Devens, Mass. — American Superconductor Corp. has received an initial $70-million order for complete wind turbine electrical control systems from China’s Shenyang Blower Works (Group) Co., Ltd. (SBW). The systems will be deployed in the 2-megawatt (MW) doubly fed induction wind turbines that were co-developed with AMSC Windtec, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMSC.
AMSC says this is the largest initial electrical control system order that it has received to date from any wind turbine customer.
SBW plans to build its first 2-MW wind turbine in March 2010. AMSC expects to begin shipping the electrical control systems to SBW in the second half of 2010 and complete shipments in the first half of 2013.
AMSC Windtec co-developed the 2-MW doubly fed induction wind turbine with SBW under a contract signed in late 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, SBW has the right to sell the 2-MW wind turbines globally.
AMSC’s wind turbine electrical control systems and core electrical components include the company’s proprietary PowerModule power converters, pitch and yaw converters, SCADA systems and other power electronics. They enable reliable, high-performance wind turbine operation by controlling power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance, controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades and the yaw of the turbines to maximize efficiency, says AMSC.
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