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500-kW modular wind turbine with 82-foot blades can swap parts to test new tech

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500-kW modular wind turbine with 82-foot blades can swap parts to test new tech

A new 500-kilowatt (kW) flexible and modular wind turbine that can be fitted with different blades, gearbox components, and control systems has been installed in Germany for real-world testing.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has completed the installation of OPUS 3, a modular research turbine, on Wednesday, 23 September. The turbine is located at the WiValdi wind energy research park in Krummendeich, Lower Saxony.

OPUS 3 will serve as a flexible research platform. It will allow the team to modify, replace or combine parts in different configurations, including rotor blades, parts of the gearbox, as well as the turbine’s control system. The team will also be able to test new algorithms as the turbine operates.

Lukas Firmhofer, DLR engineer and OPUS 3 project lead, stressed the importance of the turbine. “This means OPUS 3 closes an important gap in the development of new technologies for the wind energy industry,” Firmhofer elaborated.

According to the team, OPUS 3 has a rated output of 500 kW. It has a hub height of about 164 feet (50 meters) and a rotor diameter of around 164 feet. Its modest size makes it suitable for testing pre-industrial prototypes at a smaller scale under realistic weather and operating conditions.

The machine’s roughly 80-ton tower was delivered in two sections and assembled on site. A nacelle weighing approximately 30 tons sits at the top and contains the turbine’s gearbox and generator. The rotor hub weighs roughly 15 tons. 5 tons.



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