GE Renewable Energy has announced that the prototype for its Cypress platform, the largest onshore wind turbine for GE in the field, has been installed and is fully operational, producing power at a rated level of 5.3MW in Wieringermeer, the Netherlands. The Cypress 5.3MW prototype was installed in late 2018 and produced its first kilowatt in February 2019.GE Renewable Energy will continue to operate the prototype during the months to come in order to validate the performance of the Cypress platform. This testing will also support the process of obtaining the Type Certificate. The Cypress platform is offered with multiple ratings and varying hub heights. The Cypress platform will be powered by a two-piece blade design that makes it possible to use larger rotors and site the turbines in a wider variety of locations. The AEP improvements from the longer rotors help to drive down Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and the proprietary blade design allows these larger turbines to be installed in locations that were previously inaccessible.
