Enercon Turbines Tralee Base

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An Enercon Turbine installed near Tralee

Enercon will
Establish Technical Service Base
in Tralee

ENERCON, the German wind turbine manufacturer, has announced that it is to establish a technical service depot in Tralee. This, I think, is appropriate given that many of the new turbines installed around the county in recent times have been Enercons.

The Enercon wind turbine is readily recognisable because it has a fat nacelle or housing behind the rotor. The rotund nacelle is needed because Enercon turbines are a gear free design using a very large diameter rotor that turns at the same low speed as the blades. The design makes the turbine more efficient and less service intensive.

The venture will create about 30 jobs. The facility will be located in Tralee Technology Park. It would be really nice to see Enercon set up a manufacturing facility in Ireland!

From Previous Contact with Enercon

Some time back, when I was making some initial enquiries connected with the "Spirit of Ireland" initiative, I spoke with Mr Robin Borgert Enercons regional sales manager.

The initial stimulation for making the call was I wanted to get a ballpark cost for Enercon’s larger turbines. Some very important pieces of information emerged in the course of the conversation.

1. Enercon would be prepared to move a good part of its manufacturing facility to Ireland if contracted for a large project. This would be very valuable to the country in term of jobs.

2. Enercon, in some installations, use concrete towers, these have several advantages, cheaper, less stress mechanically, lower maintenance, and interestingly (from an Irish perspective) can be produced locally.

3. Enercon offer a 12-year maintenance agreement, as distinct from Vestas and Siemens who both offer 5-year contracts. The gearless design has a longer life and less maintenance. The initial cost 0.6 cent per Kw/h rising to 1.2 cent per Kw/h in the latter years.

4. Enercon E70 has an installed cost of €1 to €1.1m per megawatt. The larger machines have a higher cost. (Price at the time)

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