Enercon

From SustainableX.com

ENERCON GmbH based in Aurich, Northern Germany, is the third-largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world and the market leader in Germany. ENERCON has over 11,000 wind turbines installed in over 30 countries and is also amongst the leading manufacturers on an international level.

ENERCON began its road to economical/ecological success when graduate engineer Aloys Wobben founded the company in 1984. A small team of engineers developed the first E-15/16 wind turbine with a rated power of 55 kW. In the beginning ENERCON systems still featured gearboxes. The changeover to gearless technology was made in 1992 with the first ENERCON E-40/500 kW. The innovative drive system with few rotating components enables almost frictionfree energy flow. The performance and reliability of this system is exemplary. Mechanical stress, operating costs and maintenance costs are reduced, and the service life of the systems is increased.

1 Achievements
2 Products
3 Contact and location
4 External links

[edit] Achievements

One of Enercon's key innovations is the gearless (direct drive) wind turbine in combination with an annular generator. This is unlike most other wind turbines, which use a potentially more accident-sensitive Transmission (mechanics)|gearbox in order to increase the rotation speed of the generator. Other differences of Enercon's wind turbines are their distinctive drop-shaped generator housings, designed by Lord Norman Foster, and their towers, which are colored light green at the base to blend in with their surroundings.