Direct-drive generators find more followers

Turbines from Northern Power are direct drive designs. A coming 2.2 MW unit (prototype slated for Spring 2010) will also have no gearbox.

No gearbox will ever fail in our turbines, says Northern Power Systems VP James Stover. The reason for that is there are no gearboxes in the company’s turbines. Stover says his company’s Northwind 100 can still match the power needs of many local applications, whether municipalities, schools, farms, or business campuses. The turbine’s physical size is said to fit within constraints common to highly populated areas. The Barre, Vermont company says the unit was developed with a NASA grant, and designed for remote and isolated sites.

The company adds that its turbine works well in low winds, so users need not live in a high-wind area to benefit from wind power. The turbines can begin making power at wind speeds as low as 3 m/s. The gearless direct drive is said to maximize energy capture and it outperforms conventional gearbox designs. The turbine’s power converter provides smooth, clean power to local grids which simplifies grid interconnect. The company says its advanced fiberglass reinforced blades use an aerodynamic design shaped by its engineers.

The firm adds that one to three of the 100 kW units can meet all the energy needs for most municipalities, schools, and small industrial sites. Furthermore, the company says the turbine is without complicated approvals or expensive interconnection requirements.

The Northwind 100: By the numbers