Mar 26 2008
Distributed Energy Systems Corp., an innovative leader in wind power technology, announced today that it received an order for its advanced Northwind 100 gearless wind turbines from Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro (Hydro), the fourth largest utility company in Canada.
Three Northwind 100 turbines will be installed in Ramea, a small remote island on the south coast of Newfoundland and one of 22 isolated communities served by Hydro. Ramea is the site of a five-year innovative research and development project for an isolated wind-hydrogen-diesel generation system, one of the first of its kind in the world. This project is focused on developing an environmentally-friendly energy solution to be used in small, isolated electrical distribution systems. The project builds on the existing, successful wind-diesel system that has been operating in Ramea since 2004.
"We are very pleased to provide our experience and leading-edge, state of the art wind turbine to this innovative project in Ramea," said Bud Cherry, chief executive officer at Distributed Energy Systems. "The Northwind 100's track record for reliability and the technology and know-how of the DESC team will serve Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro extremely well."
"The Ramea Wind-Hydrogen-Diesel energy project has the potential to significantly reduce Hydro's reliance on diesel generation and provide clean, renewable energy to isolated customers," said Greg Jones, Hydro's vice president of Business Development (Acting). "Distributed Energy Systems' technology and expertise in remote northern communities is a strong fit for us."
With 100kW of rated power, the Northwind 100 was originally designed for use in remote winddiesel applications, and more recently has been released as an alternative power generator for grid-connected customers such as small businesses, commercial farms, small communities, schools and universities, and small corporate and industrial sites. The permanent magnet direct-drive (PMDD) turbine delivers best-in-class reliability and high energy capture to the mainstream wind energy marketplace.