KEPCO Develops 200kW-Class Medium Wind Turbine... "Operable Even in Low Wind"

Blade Length Extended... Suitable for Korea's Low Wind
Direct Drive Without Gearbox... Increased Efficiency, Reduced Maintenance Costs
"At Least 2,000 Units Installable... 800 Billion KRW Savings"
"Plans for Domestic Technology Transfer and Overseas Exports"

A medium-sized wind turbine installed in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do. (Photo by Korea Electric Power Corporation)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) announced on the 20th that it has developed a 200kW medium-sized wind turbine. It is expected to help generate power stably even in Korea, where the wind is weak.

KEPCO explained that by increasing the blade length of the turbine, it can achieve rated output even at a low wind speed of 10m/s.

Currently, medium and small-sized wind turbines in Korea require wind speeds of 12m/s or higher to reach rated output. When the wind is weak, utilization rates decrease.

The turbine adopts a direct-drive type that generates power without a gearbox, increasing operational efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

A gearbox is a device that increases the rotational speed of the blades to reduce the rotational speed of the generator, allowing the generator to be smaller.

According to KEPCO, wind turbines are divided into geared types (with a gearbox connected to the generator) and direct-drive types.

The geared type has the advantage of a smaller generator size within the wind turbine but tends to fail frequently and incurs high maintenance costs.

KEPCO successfully completed the demonstration of the turbine installed this month in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do.

Considering wind direction conditions and turbine installation sites, KEPCO expects that at least 2,000 units can be installed domestically.

It is expected that using 2,000 units of domestically produced 200kW turbines in the future will save about 800 billion KRW compared to using foreign-made turbines.

A KEPCO official said, "The North American and European turbine markets are expected to expand to 28 billion dollars by the end of this year, and transferring technology to domestic companies will greatly help secure industrial competitiveness," adding, "In the future, KEPCO plans to commercialize not only domestically but also in Southeast Asia, where there are many islands and high demand for turbines."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.