PRODUCED BY RECHARGE OFFICIAL SHOW DAILY DAY THREE Vestas, SGRE and GE lose out to Siemens Gamesa launches 5.8MW local players in 6GW China tender wind turbines YUKI YU BERND RADOWITZ he big three Western turbine Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy OEMs — Vestas, Siemens (SGRE) has unveiled two 5.8MW TGamesa Renewable Energy turbines — part of a new 5.X (SGRE) and GE — were left empty- platform that it says could conquer handed after bidding for a share of the a 30-35% share or new orders in world’s largest wind project, the 6GW coming years. Ulanqab facility in Inner Mongolia, “Today we are celebrating our China. second anniversary. I cannot The gigawatts on offer at state imagine a better way to do it than power giant SPIC’s tender — in by announcing the launch of this which 14 turbine makers took part new platform — tangible proof of — were split between five Chinese A wind farm in Siemens Gamesa’s commitment to Inner Mongolia, OEMs. Shanghai Electric came out China, where the innovation and R&D,” said chief on top, securing 1.4GW, Goldwind 6GW Ulanqab executive Markus Tacke at he project will be and Ming Yang each took 1.3GW, built product launch at the WindEurope while Dongfang Electric and CSIC show yesterday. Haizhuang picked up 1.1GW and There will be two 5.8MW models 900MW, respectively. said was a significant signal of new pressure on the developer, SPIC. The available, the SG 5.8-170 with a The Ulanqab tender — one of the openness to foreign manufacturers in three Western OEMs were among CONTINUED on Page 3 Getty | first held in China on a competitive, the Chinese wind sector. the four most expensive bids, and zero-subsidy basis — had explicitly But a source at SPIC told Recharge despite expectations that efficiency VISIT RECHARGE called for “global top-15” turbine that the subsidy-free nature of the and reliability could be factors in the at Stand 3-B22 Photograph Photograph makers to bid, in what commentators project heaped significant cost CONTINUED on Page 3 5.X VISIT US MW AT BOOTH N149/5.X # 3–C40 EVEN MORE FLEXIBILITY. 5.6 EVEN MORE POWER. MW 5.1 MW The next step in the evolution of Delta4000 190315_Nordex_Anzeige_100x230_RZ.indd 1 27.03.19 12:24 NEW DIGITAL PLATFORM AN INVESTMENT IN KNOWLEDGE ALWAYS PAYS THE BEST INTEREST Benjamin Franklin RECHARGE has been reporting from of the renewable energy industry, the front lines of the renewables where only the ‘what’ is reported, industry on five continents since not the ‘why’ not the ‘how’, not the late-2008 led by an editorial mission market insight or intelligence. to bring depth and dimension to coverage of the news that matters, Intelligence is what our team of with the accent on analysis, opinion international journalists does best – and relevant in-depth features. and has done since our launch eight years ago. Read RECHARGE. Like Worldwide-webbed readers today the wider renewables industry, we access information in a medium espouse change for the better in the where free is the norm. 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RECHARGE – Read it first at www.rechargenews.com WINDENERGYProduced HAMBURGby 2014 | RECHARGE | OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY RECHARGE | rechargenews.com MHI Vestas test plan spurs talk Two-piece blades to be of next step-up in turbine size offered for BERND RADOWITZ 5.8MW model HI Vestas plans to test CONTINUED from Page 1 a nacelle at Denmark’s 170-metre rotor, which the Mexpanded LindØ Offshore company said will be the largest Renewable Centre (LORC), chief in the onshore sector, and the executive Philippe Kavafyan SG 5.8-155, with a 155-metre revealed to Recharge, as the rotor. manufacturer kept industry The larger-rotor model will commentators guessing over give a 32% increase in annual designs it has for a larger offshore energy production (AEP) (at machine or new platform. a wind speed of 8 metres per LORC — on the Danish island second [m/s]), when compared of Fyn, close to MHI Vestas’ to manufacturer’s SG 4.5-145 nacelle factory — last month predecessor model, said SGRE. received DKr50m (€6.7m) from The smaller-rotor version will the Danish government for an boost AEP by more than 20% extension that will enable it to test (at a wind speed of 7m/s) when MHI Vestas chief turbines of up to 16MW. executive Philippe compared to the company’s SG “We are going to test something Kavafyan 4.5-145 model. at the LORC facility — but we The new platform launch are not planning to test a 16MW,” comes after rivals including GE, Kavafyan said in interview at working on a machine in the already has launched such a Enercon, Vestas and Nordex have the WindEurope conference 12MW-plus class, although it machine,” Jacob Pedersen, chief each unveiled new turbines in yesterday. hasn’t revealed yet what the financial analyst at Denmark’s the 5MW class amid a race in the “The precise characteristic of actual nameplate will be. Sydbank, told Recharge. industry to further push down the the testing [facility] is that it is up “But if it is a turbine of cost of wind energy. to 16MW,” he added, declining about 15MW, then that SGRE’s onshore wind chief to reveal further details of its If it is a turbine of about would be a big leap, and it executive, Mark Albenze, said he plans. would be a new platform. personally expects the 5MW class MHI Vestas’ current most 15MW, then that would Yet, it would cost a lot to to take a 30-35% share of orders powerful model is the 10MW develop that. in the 2021-23 period. version of its V164 offshore be a big leap, and it would “From MHI Vestas’s Ever bigger turbines, and the workhorse. The OEM so far be a new platform profit and loss statement, long blades that they fly, can be has been tight-lipped about the I cannot see how they dificcult to transport, so SGRE is possibility of bringing a larger could cover such a huge offering two design options for turbine to the market, as its rival “It is difficult to assess what cost at the current stage.” the 170-metre rotor — a one- GE is doing with the 12MW size they [MHI Vestas] will test The Danish-Japanese offshore piece blade and a segmented Haliade-X. at LORC. It doesn’t make sense OEM late last year said it will version, said onshore technology Offshore turbine market leader to bring a 12MW turbine to the recruit 50 new employees at its director Jose Antonio Malumbres. Siemens Gamesa has said it is market at this point, given GE Fyn nacelle plant. The company plans to install prototypes of the SG 5.8-155 and SG 5.8-170 in mid-2020 and Q3 2020, respectively, with Hopes dashed of great leap forward for foreign OEMs manufacturing scheduled to start in Q4 2020 and early 2021. CONTINUED from Page 1 annually, respectively. This price Western turbine makers. Albenze stressed that the outcome, price looks to have been cap for turbine maintenance is Vestas, the best-performing new platform is the first “truly the decisive metric. new in China, “putting a higher OEM in China last year, installed integrated Siemens Gamesa Shanghai Electric’s low bid of requirement on the OEMs to 584MW in the country in 2018, product” as it draws on proven less than 3,200 yuan (€424.23) improve turbine quality control, a share of 2.8%, according to technology from the two legacy per kW was 27% below the while continue lowering turbine Bloomberg NEF figures. companies — Siemens and highest bid, which came from costs”, a Chinese wind supply- Expectations of a potential Gamesa — and expertise from Vestas. chain source told Recharge. foreign winner at Ulanqab were various regions. The bids also had to include a Ulanqab was tendered in five stoked earlier this year when The new platform has a flexible Recharge | 20-year turbine service agreement sections, and winning just one Vestas and Siemens Gamesa both power rating, he added. “We and warranty, for which SPIC would have represented a huge signed their first deals with SPIC, expect to build upon this modular would pay a maximum of leap forward in the Chinese covering small deployments design as we progress in the Photograph Photograph 25 yuan/kW and 10 yuan/kW market for one of the big three elsewhere. future.” rechargenews.com 3 RECHARGE | OFFICIAL EVENT DAILY ANDREW LEE Wind and solar dominated new ind and solar were the installations in 2018, according twin growth engines to Irena Wlast year as renewables expanded to account for a third of the world’s entire power capacity, according to new data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). Wind and PV between them accounted for 84% of the 171GW of clean capacity added last year — an annual growth rate of 7.9% — as the world hit 2,351GW of renewables, says Irena’s Renewable Capacity Statistics 2019 report. Solar capacity grew by 24% in 2018, with 94GW added — almost double the 49.1GW of wind, which itself managed a respectable 10% year-on-year increase. Asia led the renewables charge in 2018, installing 61% of all new capacity (104.9GW), with Europe accounting for 13.8% (23.6GW) and North America Renewables now account for a 10.9% (18.7GW).