GE Unveils 3MW Wind Turbines Exclusively For North America

GE Renewable Energy has unveiled its newest onshore wind turbine platform designed called ‘Sierra’ specifically for the North America region. The 3.0-3.4 MW turbine features a 140-meter rotor and is offered with a variety of hub heights for its 2 blade operations. GE says that Sierra also includes the revolutionary two-piece blade of GE, designed to improve logistics, installation and serviceability. The business claims to have received more than 1 GW of orders for the turbine platform.

The official statement says that GE has manufactured, installed and commissioned its first site of Sierra turbines, which exceeded 98% availability faster than previous onshore platform launches of GE to date, and is operating with 4 points higher capacity factor, compared to 2 MW platform of GE.

The company maintains that Sierra is built on the legacy of 2 MW platform of GE, which recently surpassed 30 GW of installed base globally. The Sierra platform is launched with two prototypes, one in Lubbock, TX and one in India.

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Pat Byrne, CEO for GE’s Onshore Wind business, said, “We are absolutely delighted to introduce our Sierra platform to the North America onshore wind industry– the most tested and validated turbine in GE’s history. This is a turbine that was designed specifically for the future needs and unique challenges of the region, taking into account significant feedback and insights from our customers and wind farm developers.”

Sierra turbines will be manufactured at Pensacola manufacturing facility of GE, with a significant portion of its components manufactured in North America. The 68.7m two-piece blades are manufactured by both LM Wind Power and TPI which enables improved transportation logistics, installation and serviceability or upgrades.

Jason Cooper, North America CEO for Onshore Wind Business of GE, stated, “GE’s Sierra platform will help our customers to capture even more wind energy while improving economics. We know that wind power is a key element of driving decarbonization and a dependable and affordable energy option, and we’re confident that Sierra will be a key part of the future landscape of wind turbines installed in the US in the coming years.”

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GE Renewable Energy was recognized by the American Clean Power Association (ACPA) as the top manufacturer of wind turbines in the US in 2021, for the fourth year in a row. Of the total onshore wind installed nationwide, ACPA reported that GE technology was deployed in 50% of new capacity additions, as well as in 49% of new projects under construction or in advanced development that have selected an OEM