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Suitable for any wind force

Min Reading Time
Tags: NonAutomotive, RenewableEnergy, Efficiency
ZF Wind Power’s modular platform has expanded. After ‘SHIFT 2k’ and ‘SHIFT 4k’, there’s now ‘SHIFT 6k’. Get to know this compact modular concept; designed around cost, performance, flexibility and availability.
ZF Wind Power Editors, September 27, 2018
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ZF Wind Power Editors They love the power of the pen and of course…wind. The team strives to bring renewable energy all over the world.
In a constantly evolving world, our renewable energy needs are growing. And with it growing, the importance of a reduced levelized cost of energy. Because of this growing energy need, turbine OEM’s are increasing the development rate of new and more powerful turbines, while boosting efficiency. ‘SHIFT’, ZF Wind Power’s modular gearbox platform, offers a cost efficient solution to support this trend. What is different about ‘SHIFT 6k’? Well, next to lower costs, this new platform variant guarantees higher performance, more flexibility and improved availability.

‘SHIFT’: IT’S ABOUT FLEXIBLE WIND TURBINE CONFIGURATIONS

Enabling flexible turbine configurations… what does it mean?
Today, wind turbines are designed for specific wind conditions and locations. Thanks to the ‘SHIFT gearbox platform’, the way turbines are designed will change. Turbine OEM’s are now offered a broad range of gearbox torque specifications, all in the same validated physical design. This way, they can develop multiple turbine variants all supported by the same ‘SHIFT’ gearbox platform. The result? A wind turbine that better fits specific market needs in terms of output, cost and availability.

Lower cost, more flexibility and improved availability

By developing the ‘SHIFT’ platform, requirements of different markets have been taken into account. As a result, a number of standardized building blocks that can be used to make diverse combinations can cover multiple market segments and multiple customers. This way, development costs are shared.
Also upgrades of these gearbox platforms are pre-developed and validated, technology improvements are quicker while research efforts are reduced. So, it’s more efficient to quickly anticipate to new market needs. Thanks to this flexible approach, it’s possible to speed up enhancements and optimize operations.
At every location, there are different wind conditions. As ‘SHIFT’ offers the possibility to optimize the gearbox to site specific loads or even within a single wind site, wind turbines can now be optimized for any location.

SHIFT 6k’: high performing compact design

Wind turbine manufacturers search for high flexibility for new onshore and offshore turbines to significantly reduce the cost of wind energy. ‘SHIFT’ is the answer. Through the combination of advanced production and latest innovations, ZF Wind Power can offer a new variant: ‘SHIFT 6k’. This newborn is the most powerful gearbox platform for onshore wind turbines, while also covering offshore markets. The platform has an optimal torque density, powering new generation wind turbines from 4.5MW up to 7MW and rotor diameters of up to 180m.
“The new platform covers the dynamics of the wind market, safeguards specific customer requirements and reduces time-to-market significantly.”
Jan Willem Ruinemans, Head of ZF Wind Power

In brief: With the introduction of ‘SHIFT 6k’, ZF takes wind gearboxes to a whole new performance level. In combination with digital solutions, wind turbine availability and output improves while extending the lifetime of the gearbox results in lower costs and higher efficiency. By using smart digital technology and analytics to steer pro-active maintenance and spare parts management, ZF can reduce the operational costs for its customers. That’s why WESHIFT.