Wind turbines with direct drive technology

Driveless wind turbines have a direct connection between the rotor and generator, which means that they do not require a drive. Siemens is currently carrying out a test project in Denmark to determine whether and at what performance class driveless wind turbines are competitive with geared machines. Drives are among the most sensitive and expensive components of wind turbines and, since driveless turbines have fewer rotating mechanical components, this technology is expected to require less maintenance and provide higher availability than conventional geared machines. One focus of the project is to assess possible offshore applications.