Northern Power Systems Licenses It's Proven Wind Turbine Technology in South America
WEG Leveraging Permanent Magnet Direct Drive Technology to Capture Expanding Market
Expanding the global reach of its permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) technology, Northern Power Systems (www.northernpower.com) announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with WEG Equipamentos Elétricos S.A., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of electronic equipment. WEG and Northern Power are cooperating to bring proven, next-generation wind turbine technology to the South American wind market. This partnership combines WEG’s extensive production capabilities and market knowledge with Northern Power’s PM/DD technology and wind industry experience to deliver value-enhanced wind energy products for customers of WEG.
Through this strategic partnership, WEG is offering a utility-scale technology platform that will include wind turbines rated between 2.1 and 2.3MW and rotors sized from 93m to 110m to meet customer requirements in a range of a wind classes. WEG has already secured commitments for initial orders and will be scaling production operations throughout 2013 and 2014. “We believe that Northern Power’s PM/DD technology offers a significant performance advantage to a vast array of customers in South America,” explained Mr. João Paulo Gualberto da Silva, WEG’s Head of Wind Energy Generation Business. “The South American wind market, particularly Brazil, is growing at an incredible rate, and the initial market response to WEG’s turbine offerings has been very positive. Having a partner like Northern Power with proven technology which is capable of providing solutions for both current and evolving wind market demands, positions WEG to be a leader in this expanding space now and in the future.”
Turbines leveraging PM/DD technology typically demonstrate higher availability and lower maintenance and repair costs than traditional gear-based turbines, offering higher energy production over the turbine’s lifetime, and providing enhanced economic returns to owners. The wind turbines initially will be manufactured at WEG’s manufacturing facilities in Jaragua do Sul, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
“WEG has tremendous capabilities to supply all aspects of wind power plants integrated with a strong understanding of the needs of the South American wind market, and Northern Power has the experience and technology necessary to provide the right solutions for this market,” said Troy C. Patton, Chief Executive Officer of Northern Power Systems. “We look forward to powering WEG’s capabilities through our technology offerings.”
About WEG
Founded in 1961, WEG operates mainly in the sector of capital goods and is one of the largest world manufacturers of electrical equipment, having five main businesses: Motors, Energy, Transmission and Distribution, Automation and Coatings. With over 25 thousand employees, it had a net revenue of R$ 6.1 billion in 2012.
In Brazil, the group has it’s headquarter and main industrial plants in Jaraguá do Sul/SC. The other plants are spread over Rio Grande do Sul (Gravataí), Santa Catarina (Blumenau, Guaramirim, Itajaí and Joaçaba), São Paulo (São Paulo, São Bernardo do Campo and Monte Alto), Amazonas (Manaus), Espírito Santo (Linhares). Overseas, WEG has manufacturing units in Argentina, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, China, India, Austria and USA, besides distribution and trading centers in the USA, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, Germany, England, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Australia, Japan, Singapore, India, Russia and United Arab Emirates.
Lynda Engler (802-461-2854) lengler@northernpower.com
About Northern Power Systems
Northern Power Systems licenses and develops wind technology on a global basis, and provides engineering and development services for a wide variety of energy applications, including microgrids, power conversion systems, and wind and marine turbine solutions. With over 30 years of experience in developing advanced, innovative wind turbines, Northern Power also offers direct turbine sales of its NPS 60 kW, NPS 100 kW and utility-scale products. The Company’s proven, next generation permanent magnet direct drive (PM/DD) wind turbine technology is based on a vastly simplified architecture that utilizes a unique combination of a permanent magnet generator and direct‐drive design. This revolutionary approach uses fewer moving parts, delivers higher energy capture, and provides increased reliability due to reduced maintenance and downtime costs. More information is available at www.northernpower.com.