'World’s most powerful' onshore turbine enters the European market

SANY Renewable Energy’s new 919 platform features both onshore and offshore turbines with power ratings of 8.5-11MW and blade diameters of 214-230m. Currently there are three prototypes in operation in the Jilin province, in northeastern China.

The platform was showcased at Husum Wind, a renewable energy fair which predominantly caters to the German-speaking markets. Speaking at the SANY stand, Haijun Deng, managing director of SANY Renewable Energy Europe estimated that the manufacturer has more than 16GW of orders currently in hand.

Ultimately SANY wants to sell the 919 platform in Europe, which Deng reveals it is “very close” to doing. The manufacturer’s strategy to enter the market involves plans to set up a production line in Europe and to offer developers a less costly option. “The price of our competitors makes some projects impossible; we are offering an alternative,” comments Gregoire de Fouchier, senior sales manager at SANY Renewable Energy in Paris.

Watch: Haijun Deng, managing director of SANY Renewable Energy discusses how the wind industry can realise GWEC’s latest 680GW forecast by 2027.

Modularisation is a key component of the 919 platform: “Whether you use the 8MW or the 10MW, it uses the same modules,” explains Rune Jessen, head of sales at SANY Nordics. As a result SANY can build site-specific turbines that can operate in areas of medium and high wind. “This is not a one-size fits all approach,” Jessen states. “We can say ‘This turbine is best for this particular site.’”

Owing to SANY’s “whole journey” approach to digitalisation, the platform benefits from a quick repair and replace process. Every wind farm has a clone in the digital world and its digital twin is tested against real conditions, meaning that as soon as SANY sees any failure in the digital world they can order spare parts, go onsite and replace components before they fail. 

The platform also helps to combat rising transportation issues within the wind industry – which are particularly prevalent in Europe – by offering a more lightweight design. Jessen explains how the manufacturer achieved it: “Through the extensive testing that SANY does we’ve been able to optimise the technology we already had, taking out excess weight which makes the nacelle lighter for transportation and saves the customer money because it uses less steel.” 

Deng points out that although the main onus is on the OEMs to solve the transportation problem, “Local authorities and transportation companies are part of the equation too.” For its part, Deng says manufacturers need to do more research and development, but “we have to work together”.

The launch of the 919 platform is only the beginning, according to Deng: “At SANY we are currently in the top 10 among turbine OEMs, and we want to go further. We would like to contribute more product capacity [to the industry] and more advanced technology turbines.”

For more information about SANY Renewable Energy, their products, strategy and philosophy – as well as their time in Husum, see here.