Ultracapacitors set for wind turbines

Alain Riedo, senior vice president and general manager of Maxwell's Swiss subsidiary, Maxwell Technologies SA, noted that the order, which is expected to be drawn down over two years, is for double the quantity of the company's previous largest D cell order, a 1.5 million-cell order for a wind energy application in February 2006.

The ultracapacitors are used for backup energy storage and power delivery in wind turbines ranging in output up to 2.5 MW. Each of the turbines' three blades has an independent braking and pitch adjustment mechanism incorporating a bank of from 200 to 700 BOOSTCAP cells for backup power to
ensure continuous operation in the event of a power failure.

Strong global demand for wind energy systems is driving increased demand for ultracapacitors, and we are pleased that one of the world's largest and most innovative wind turbine producers has selected our BOOSTCAP products to enhance the performance and reliability of their systems, Riedo said.