CSR-ZELRI will use the components in 1.65 MW wind turbines designed by AMSC’s wholly owned AMSC Windtec® subsidiary. AMSC expects to ship all of the core electrical components by the end of 2009 to support CSR-ZELRI’s increased production of wind turbines.

AMSC’s core electrical components include the company’s PowerModule™ PM3000W power converter and enable the control of power flows, regulating voltage, monitoring system performance and controlling the pitch of wind turbine blades to maximise efficiency. The PM3000W is a fully programmable, flexible and modular power converter developed specifically for wind turbines with power ratings up to 6 MW.

“China’s wind industry continues to move forward at an aggressive pace through the global economic downturn, and further growth is projected for the next decade,” says Du Jinsong, General Manager of CSR-ZELRI’s wind power business unit.

Based in Zhuzhou City in the Hunan province of China, CSR-ZELRI first began working with AMSC Windtec in January 2007. Under the terms of the original license agreement, AMSC also received the right to provide CSR-ZELRI with core electrical components for all of its 1.65 MW wind turbines. Including this latest order, CSR-ZELRI has ordered more than 170 sets of core electrical components from AMSC to date.

According to the Chinese Wind Energy Association, China will grow its base of wind power from 5.9 GW at the end of 2007 to more 10 GW in 2008. In its Global Wind Energy Outlook 2008 report, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) estimates that China’s installed base could grow to 101 GW by 2020 under its ‘moderate’ outlook scenario and 201 GW under its ‘advanced’ scenario.