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In the next decade, renewable energy will expand rapidly. Vestas will help to support this expansion by increasing the scalability and business case certainty of customers and new wind power solutions. We are pleased to introduce the V163-4.5 MW. This will allow us to support the projected growth in renewable energy and increase penetration in the global energy mix. It expands the Vestas platform of 4 MW and offers superior wind park performance in low-to-medium wind conditions.
The V163-4 MW has an 18% increase in swept area, and can deliver up to 10 percent more Annual Energy Production (AEP), at park level, than the V150-4.5MW. Site-specific conditions may affect this figure. The V163-4.5MW is 80.1m long and has a high rotor-size to-rating ratio. This results in an increase in capacity and power output at low wind speeds and medium winds when there is a lot of demand. Temperature operation is four degrees more than the V150-4.5MW. This improves production predictability and stability, which can lead to increased energy value.
The V163-4.5MW increases business case certainty for our clients. It is built on Vestas’ most advanced wind turbine platform with a global supply chain. This allows us to realize the full value of our investments by Vestas as well as our suppliers, by extending our technology livescycles. Customers are less at risk with the V163-4.5MW. We also design for scaleability which is crucial to our technological ambitions. Anders Nielsen, Vestas Chief Technology Officer, says that this is a significant step in Vestas’ journey to industrialization across renewables and a path to greater profitability for the wind sector.
Although the V163-4.5MW is universally applicable, it is especially relevant for sites in South Africa, Latin America, South Africa, and parts of Southern Europe. A well-established global supply network and exceptionally stable energy production at park levels allow for a faster build-out and penetration of wind on sites that are not subject to the best wind conditions.
The V163-4.5MW turbine is optimized for medium to low wind speeds and unlocks new markets across North America. This product is built on our proven 4MW platform and makes use of an established supply chain, existing infrastructure, transportation, and installation. Vestas’s experience in site-specific towers and the V163-4.5MW turbine’s versatility will enable us to create more profitable projects in a broad market. “We look forward to continuing to provide innovative technology to North America’s renewables industry, and partnering with customers to accelerate North American wind energy deployment,” says Laura Beane (President of Vestas North America).
This new variant demonstrates Vestas’ modularization approach and scaleability. It shares many major functional and physical designs with both the V150-4.2 MW and V150-4.5. MW modules. The V163-4.5MW is built on over a decade of continuous evolution of Vestas 4 MW platform. It benefits from the quality and efficiency of a global supply chain that has been optimized over the past ten years. The V163-4.5MW was designed from the beginning to minimize the impact of any changes on suppliers, transport methods, and installation processes. It also complies with all operational and servicing standards.
