REpower installs prototype 3.XM wind turbine

HUSUM, GERMANY - A prototype of a new 3 MW onshore wind turbine has been installed at the Sudermarsch wind farm near Husum, Germany by REpower Systems AG.

The company says its 3.XM, with a rated output of 3.3 MW, a rotor diameter of 104 meters and a hub height of 80 meters, bridges the gap between the present onshore product series and the 5 MW and 6 MW offshore class.

"In the 3.XM we are now meeting the wind market's requirements for increasingly high-capacity and technologically advanced turbines."

A second REpower 3.XM is to be erected at the Südermarsch wind farm in a few weeks. The company is planning to produce 30 of the turbines in the next financial year and to increase production capacities significantly in the coming years.

In the medium term, there are plans to construct a new plant for production of the machine in Osterrönfeld, in the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district of Schleswig-Holstein.

The 3.XM machine, which was unveiled at Husum WindEnergy in mid-September, is characterized by particularly low noise emissions, REpower said. It will now undergo testing for certification for IEC IIa and DIBt Windzone IV type classes for use in average to strong wind environments.

"In the 3.XM we are now meeting the wind market's requirements for increasingly high-capacity and technologically advanced turbines," said Matthias Schubert, CTO of Repower.