GE Renewable Energy has received funding support of almost €2 million for its work developing prototype turbine/generators on two hydropower projects in Norway and Turkey.
The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) as operator of the EEA[1]-Grants program provided the funds for the hydropower equipment research and development (R&D) activities for the Iveland (Norway) and Tepekisla (Turkey) hydroelectric projects to GE Renewable Energy’s Spanish entities.
EEA-Grants aim to reduce economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area as well as to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor states (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and the 16 Member States of the European Union that are eligible for this aid (including Spain).
"We are grateful for the contribution of the EEA-Grants program that helped us to deliver two major European projects, Iveland and Tepekisla, and to develop R&D within the hydro field" said Yves Rannou, CEO of the GE Renewable Energy Hydro business.
The Iveland and Tepekisla projects required developing two completely different hydro turbine/generator prototypes. The Tepekisla project included two 35MW SAM units which are the most powerful ever built for this type of technology that is typically used in run-of-river applications. The Francis-driven Iveland project will add 50MW of additional generating capacity to the plant’s output.
