DNV GL has assessed the market's new offshore turbine in development and awarded Siemens Wind Power with the Prototype Certificate for its 8 megawatt (MW) offshore wind turbine SWT-8.0-154. The prototype certification confirms all relevant safety features on the turbine according to the Danish Executive Order BEK 73:2013 and IEC 61400-22, allowing installation of the prototype to demonstrate its performance.

By erecting the turbine at the test centre for wind turbines in Osterild, Denmark, Siemens is able to perform the measurement campaign for the next phase of the type certification process which is crucial to bring the turbine to the market.

"We are proud to have received the prototype certificate at this early stage, allowing us to install our SWT-8.0-154 prototype according to plan. The third evolution on the Offshore Direct Drive platform truly marks the move towards industrializing offshore wind power. We are also proud to be once again cooperating with DNV GL, who is equally responsible for allowing us to reach our goals on this very short timeline," says Morten Rasmussen, Head of Siemens Wind Power Technology.

Mike Wobbeking, Head of Certification Body Renewables Certification at DNV GL, commented: "We are happy that the certification journey of the Siemens direct drive offshore wind turbine continues from the 7 MW to the even bigger 8 MW turbine together with DNV GL. With our certification services we support Siemens to meet customer expectations to provide the industry with an optimised turbine with an even higher output rate to reduce the levelized cost of energy."

The SWT-8.0-154 turbine is an evolution of the SWT-6.0-154 and the SWT-7.0-154 turbines. The main changes going from SWT-7.0-154 to the SWT-8.0-154 turbine consist of an upgraded generator including the adjacent electrical system and an advanced control system.

The upgrade of the offshore direct drive wind turbine to eight megawatts is made possible through the introduction of new magnet technology with an even higher grade than that introduced in the SWT-7.0-154. This enables a rated power increase of more than 14% from 7.0 to 8.0 MW.