Siemens 2012 Annual Report Download - page 40

38
Years of offshore experience
Once the turbines and rotor blades have successfully completed
the test phase, two giant cranes lift the housing for the SWT .’s
generating components into the air. Under Jensen’s watchful eye,
the housing – or the “nacelle” – is moved in slow motion to the top
of the -meter tower. The culmination of more than  years of
experience in offshore projects, the SWT . is remarkable not only
for its output but also for its new drive technology, which is entirely
gearless. Such innovations have enabled our engineers to reduce
the number of components by about %. The streamlined design
facilitates maintenance while also cutting down on weight: the
SWT . is by far the lightest wind turbine in its class. And this, in
turn, lowers costs for the foundation and the tower – making wind
energy more competitive and moving us a step closer to Jensen’s
vision of a greener energy future.
 – Once installed, the gigantic rotor will sweep
an area equivalent to two-and-a-half soccer fields. An
enormous amount of space is also required for unload-
ing the rotor blades and mounting them on the hub
(pictured on the left).