Enercon

Enercon logo.

Enercon E-112.

World premiere: 11 7.5 MW Enercon E-126 wind turbines, Belgium, October 10, 2010 Photo

Enercon GmbH is the largest German wind turbine construction company. Its registered office is located in Aurich (Lower Saxony). The Enercon name comes from the words Energy and Converter.

History

Founded in 1984 by its current owner Aloys Wobben, it has a global workforce of 10,000 employees and a turnover of more than €1.2 billion. It also owns more than 40% of all world patents in the manufacture of wind turbines.

Wind sector

A fundamental characteristic of Enercon GmbH is that within the world of construction and development of wind turbines, where shareholder companies proliferate, and the seven largest manufacturers accumulate more than 90% of the market share; Enercon GmbH continues to operate as an independent company and is not listed on any stock market. Even so, its world market share is over 13%, which places it in third position in said ranking, only surpassed by the Danish Vestas (34%) and the Spanish Gamesa (18%) (data from 2005).

Production centers

Enercon GmbH has production sites in six different countries. Thus, in Germany, production is located in Aurich (Lower Saxony), Emden (Lower Saxony) and Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), and outside the German borders, in Turkey (Izmir), Sweden (Malmö), Brazil (Sorocaba and Peçém), Portugal (Viana do Castelo) and India.

Manufacturing system

Enercon wind farm in Cuxhaven.

Another fundamental characteristic of Enercon GmbH is its manufacturing system, since all the components of its wind turbines are manufactured in Enercon GmbH's own facilities, from the generators to the towers, passing through all the electronic control systems or the Pallas.

Regarding Enercon GmbH, we will indicate that it was the first company to develop and mass-produce aeronerators without speed multipliers, that is, the generator is directly linked to the shaft that drives the blades. This is a fundamental property of Enercon wind turbines and allows to reduce, on the one hand, the number of breakdowns, since the number of mechanical components exposed to them decreases; and on the other, the number of maintenance operations (oil changes, leaks, etc.) that generally affect all gearboxes. The number of revolutions with which the rotor of a generator equipped with a speed multiplier rotates is approximately 1500 revolutions per minute. However, the peculiar characteristic of Enercon wind turbines means that due to the absence of a speed multiplier, the rotor rotates with the same number of revolutions as the generator, which depending on the model and the characteristics of the wind will oscillate between 8 and 60 revolutions per minute. It is easy to deduce that in this second case there will be less stress and wear on the moving parts of the wind turbine during its useful life.

Enercon wind turbines are easily distinguishable from other manufacturers' wind turbines due to their peculiar design. Its gondola is in the shape of a drop of water and on its tower, in the base area, a stripe that progressively changes from white to green appears for optimal mimicry with the surroundings. In installations near the coast it is possible to find this color variation in blue tones. The peculiar design of its gondola is the work of the famous English architect Sir Norman Foster, author among other works of the Bilbao Metro (1995), the restoration of the Reichstag (German Parliament) in 1999, or the most recent Millau Viaduct (2004).. Wind turbine blades are also easily distinguishable, since they are the only ones on the market that have curved ends, similar to those that can be seen on airplane wings (winglet), and reduce the consequences of eddies at the tips. of the blades

Enercon Wind Turbine Models

E-12

• Built units: 5
• Nominal power: 30 kW
• Second generation generator
• Prototype built in 1997
• Production: 1997 - 2000

E-15/E-16

• Built units: 45
• Nominal power: 55 kW
• First-generation winder
• Prototype built in 1985
• Production: 1985 - 1989

E-17/E-18

• Built units: 155
• Nominal power: 80 kW
• First-generation winder
• Production: 1989 - 1999

E-20

• Built units: 1
• Nominal power: 100 kW
• Third-generation winder
• Welded steel sheet
• All parts of the wind turbine fit in a single container of marine transport
• The upper section of the tower fits into the bottom, with the consequent saving of space
• Prototype built in 2006
• Production: 2006

E-30

• Built units: 575
• Nominal power: 230 - 300 kW
• Second generation generator
• Production: 1994-2005

E-32/E-33

• Built units: 185
• Nominal power: 300 kW
• First-generation winder
• Hydraulic blade regulation
• Prototype built in 1988
• Production: 1988-1993

E-33

• Built units: 45
• Nominal power: 330 kW
• Third-generation winder
• Diameter: 33 m
• Height: 49 - 50 m
• Variable speed: 18 - 45 rpm
• Linear velocity of the blade (punta): 31 - 78 m/s
• Minimum wind speed: 2.5 m/s
• Nominal wind speed: 12 m/s
• Maximum wind speed: 28 - 34 m/s
• Production: 2004 - 2006

E-40

• Built units: 4,360
• Nominal power: 500 - 600 kW
• Second generation generator
• Prototype built in 1992
• It has the title of "world's best-selling wind turbine"
• Production: 1992-2005

E-44

• Built units: 1550
• Nominal power: 900 kW
• Third-generation winder
• IEC class wind generator Ia
• Prototype built in 2006
• Production: 2007 -...

E-48

• Built units: 1,020
• Nominal power: 800 kW
• Third-generation winder
• Diameter: 48 m
• Height: 50 - 76 m
• Variable speed: 16 - 32 rpm
• Linear velocity of the blade (punta): 40 - 80 m/s
• Minimum wind speed: 3 m/s
• Nominal wind speed: 13 m/s
• Maximum wind speed: 28 - 34 m/s
• Prototype built in 2004
• Production: 2004 -...

E-53

• Built units: 105
• Nominal power: 800 kW
• Third-generation winder
• IEC IIIa wind turbine
• Prototype built in 2006
• Production: 2006 -...

E-58

• Built units: 215
• Nominal power: 1 MW
• Second generation generator
• Production: 1999 - 2006

E-66

• Built units: 2.470
• Nominal power: 1.5 - 1.8 - 2.0 MW
• Second generation generator
• Prototype built in 1995
• Production: 1995 - 2007

The E-66 model differs from its successor, the E-70, in the design of the blades. The new model incorporates improvements that allow an improvement in performance, which depending on the location of the wind turbine, is between 10 and 15% in the annual production of electrical energy.

E-70

Buje de un aerogenerador sin palates (Enercon E-70) on the island of El Hierro.

• Built units: 1,475
• Nominal power: 2 MW, current version 2,3 MW
• Third-generation winder
• Diameter: 71 m
• Height: 58 - 113 m
• Variable speed: 6 - 21,5 rpm
• Linear velocity of the blade (punta): 22 - 80 m/s
• Minimum wind speed: 2.5 m/s
• Nominal wind speed: 12.5 m/s
• Maximum wind speed: 28 - 34 m/s
• Prototype built in 2003
• Production: 2003 -...

E-82

• Built units: 70
• Nominal power: 2 MW
• Third-generation winder
• Diameter: 82 m
• Height: 70 - 108 m
• Variable speed: 6 - 19.5 rpm
• Linear velocity of the blade (punta): 25 - 80 m/s
• Minimum wind speed: 2.5 m/s
• Nominal wind speed: 12 m/s
• Maximum wind speed: 22 - 28 m/s
• Prototype built in 2005
• Production: 2005 -...

E-112

• Built units: 9
• Nominal power: 4.5 - 6 MW
• Second generation generator
• Diameter: 114 m
• Height: 124 m
• Variable speed: 8 - 13 rpm
• Linear velocity of the blade (punta): 48 - 78 m/s
• Minimum wind speed: 2.5 m/s
• Maximum wind speed: 28 - 34 m/s
• Prototype built in 2002
• Production: 2002 - 2006

Enercon E-70, Magdeburg, 2005.

The E-112 model, with a nominal power of 6 MW, is one of the largest wind turbines in the world. This machine, produced at the Magdeburg facility, has a blade diameter of approximately 114 meters (112 meters in the first 4.5 MW versions) and a shaft height of about 125 meters (it may vary depending on the type of foundation). To realize the mammoth dimensions of the E-112, let's say that when the blade reaches the highest point, its tip is at a height of about 180 meters, which, to give us an idea, is equivalent to a building of about 60 floors.. The gondola has a diameter of 12 meters and a weight of more than 550 tons (shovels included) that are supported by a concrete tower weighing 2,500 tons. The synchronous generator has a weight of about 550 tons. The diameter of the tower varies from almost 12 meters at the base to just 4 meters at the height of the gondola. An advantage of this model is that, due to its size, its turning speed is lower, and therefore it is less annoying than less powerful models. Thus it is capable of producing the same amount of power as three or four E-66s, and yet at the same time being quieter than said E-66s combined. Initially, it is thought that this type of wind turbines will be installed on land, in order to expand its installation to off-shore parks in the near future. One of the units of the Enercon E-112 wind turbine, installed in the vicinity of Emden, can produce, if the wind conditions are adequate, about 16 million kWh per year, which corresponds to the consumption of approximately 4,750 homes (3,500 kWh of annual consumption per home) or to the needs of 16,000 people (1,000 kWh per person and year).

The blades of the first E-112s were manufactured at the Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder. However, the following ones were already produced at the Enercon facility in Magdeburg-Rothensee and transported by barge through the Elbe canal. Each blade is approximately 52 meters long and weighs about 22 tons.

E-126

At the 2006 Hannover International Fair Enercon GmbH announced the successor to the E-112, the new model E-126. The E-126 should be similar to the E-112 with a blade profile similar to third generation wind turbines (let's remember that the E-112 is a second generation wind turbine) and possibly a greater overall height, both characteristics that should raise as much mechanical performance as the economic profitability of the wind turbine.

Industrial espionage

In 1994 and 1995 Enercon GmbH was the target of industrial espionage by the US National Security Agency and Echelon. The information obtained by both organizations was sold to the competing company Kenetech Windpower Inc.. Said company took advantage of the data obtained from know-how obtained through industrial espionage to Enercon GmbH and patented these “discoveries”. For this reason, Enercon GmbH had the doors to the American wind market closed until the end of 2010.

Relationship with unions

Enercon GmbH has been accused on several occasions for preventing an internal union organization of workers in its different factories. Affiliates who have tried to organize a works council have been demoted or threatened with termination of contract. At the factory located in Izmir, Turkey, some 70 workers were dismissed for joining the Birlesik Metal-Is union. However, although There are factories belonging to Enercon GmbH that do have a works council, in most of them the participation of the workers is organized through their representatives.

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