Siemens to provide turbines for new wind energy project in Germany
February 19, 2013Siemens wins contract for German wind energy project
Siemens, a multi-national engineering and electronics conglomerate, has been making waves in the world of wind energy for some time. The company is behind some of the most ambitious wind energy projects in the world coming from a wide range of counties. Siemens has announced that it has been awarded a contract for an offshore wind energy project in Germany. The project will take root in the North Sea and is expected to be fully active in 2015.
Project to produce 288 megawatts of electrical power
Siemens will be providing 80 wind turbines to the project. The project itself, which is called Butendiek, will have a capacity of 288 megawatts once it has been fully completed, enough to power approximately 370,000 average homes in Germany. Butendiek will be the eighth offshore wind project to take form in Germany that Siemens has been involved with. The country boasts of more than 30 offshore wind energy projects in total.
Global wind energy capacity to reach 500GW by 2020
Wind energy is gaining momentum all over the world. Siemens expects total global capacity to reach 500 gigawatts by the end of 2020. Offshore wind energy, in particular, is becoming more popular because of the unbridled power of ocean wind currents. The United Kingdom has become one of the strongest advocates for offshore wind energy and the country boasts of some projects that Siemens is currently involved in. The company expects that wind energy will find more success in 2013 as it had in previous years.
Project expected to go online by 2015
The contract for the Butendiek wind energy project also includes a long-term maintenance clause that will have Siemens providing logistical support and upkeep services for the next 10 years. German officials expect construction on the project to begin within the coming months. By 2015, the project is likely to begin supplying the German power grid with renewable energy. Siemens notes that each of its wind turbines being used for the project has a lifetime of 25 years.