Nordex Balcke-Dürr 1.3 MW prototypes

Nordex Balcke-Dürr is this month installing the first of two prototype 1.3 MW wind turbines, a design developed from its 1 MW machine, of which about a 100 will have been sold in 1997. The company's Jens Pedersen says the new design will not only compete with the range of 1.5 MW turbines now appearing on the market, but will also produce power at a price competitive with 600 kW turbines. "The extra 300 kW we are adding to the 1 MW is a relatively cheap development," he says. The first prototype is to be installed at the DEWI test field in Germany and a second at a site in Mecklenburg Vorpommern. Series production is expected to start in April.