Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has filed a lawsuit against rival turbine manufacturer GE Renewable Energy, claiming the US giant’s Haliade-X turbines infringe its patents for offshore direct-drive technology.
The Spanish company filed the lawsuit in a Florida court two months after GE sought to block its turbines from the US market over a separate intellectual property (IP) infringement.
Its lawsuit relates to the latest generation of GE’s offshore wind turbines, which have power ratings of 12-13MW.
One patent is related to generator cooling and another is related to main bearing design for direct drive wind turbine generators, an SGRE spokeswoman told Windpower Monthly.
SGRE stated: “Siemens Gamesa is strongly committed to the offshore wind power market and invests heavily in research and innovation to increase efficiency and reduce the levelised cost of energy (LCoE). The protection of intellectual property rights is essential to foster continued investments in innovation.
“Siemens Gamesa is determined to protect its offshore direct-drive technology innovations and believes firmly in the case against GE.”
When contacted for comment by Windpower Monthly, a GE spokesman stated: “Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against GE in Florida related to our wind turbine technologies.
"This action appears to be a retaliatory move in response to our earlier lawsuits filed against them to protect GE’s IP rights. The Siemens Gamesa lawsuit has no merit, and we will vigorously defend ourselves against this action.”
In August, the US technology giant filed a lawsuit against SGRE, focusing on its low-voltage-ride-through and zero-voltage-ride-through technologies for variable-speed turbines that enables them to maximise power capture in fluctuating wind speeds.
SGRE denies the allegation of IP infringement.
