GE and Max Bögl Wiesner have kicked off the first commercial installation of the US manufacturer’s 2.5MW 120 wind turbines in the town of Schnaittenbach, Bavaria.

The machine, which is from the company’s so-called brilliant platform, is expected to be operational in late October. The turbine is designed for low-wind sites and features a120-metre rotor diameter and a hub height of 139 metres.

GE Energy Germany chief executive Stephan Reimelt said: “We are pleased that Max Bögl Wiesner selected the 2.5MW 120 precisely because we had engineered it for locations such as Schnaittenbach.

“GE’s goal was to facilitate the generation of wind energy in densely wooded regions with low-wind intensity such as the Oberpfalz.”

Max Bögl Wiesner is a joint venture between the Max Bögl group of companies and Windkraft Oberpfalz.

Its chief executives Michael Bögl and Ludwig Wiesner added in a statement: “We are pleased that, thanks to GE’s new turbine, we are able to use the most efficient inland wind turbine worldwide for our project.”

Image: the turbine is designed for low-wind sites (GE)