Enercon EP3 wind turbine installed at Wieringermeer wind energy test site in the Netherlands

ENERCON has reached the next stage of its EP3 programme. The company has now installed the prototype of the E-138 EP3 at the Wieringermeer wind energy test site in the Netherlands.

The low-wind WEC (IEC wind class IIIA) follows in the footsteps of the E-126 EP3 for wind farm class IIA sites and is the second WEC type to feature the new compact design. ‘We are pleased that we are making progress with EP3 wind turbines programme, and that we have successfully installed the first E-138’, says ENERCON Sales Director Stefan Lütkemeyer. ‘Our development and installation team have all done a brilliant job to make this happen.’

In response to the growing price and competition pressure in onshore wind energy markets across the world, the new EP3 WEC types are functional in every respect, with a compact design optimised in terms of cost and for transport and logistics. This is visible on the outside through the departure from the egg-shaped nacelle design typically used for ENERCON WECs up to this point. The E-138 EP3 has a rotor diameter of 138.6 metres, a nominal power of 3.5 MW, and is available in hub heights from 81 to 160 metres.

In view of the EP3 orders that have already been placed, ENERCON Sales Director Stefan Lütkemeyer is pleased with the interim result of the market launch: ‘The new E-126 and E-138 wind energy converters are very well received by customers and potential buyers the world over. The response we are recording is highly positive, and is further proof for us that we are developing the right products to match the changing market requirements.’