Wind Turbine of the Month - Enercon E175 EP5 E2 (7.0 MW)
Technical information, data, and photos of the Enercon E175 EP5 E2 (7.0 MW) wind turbine
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New edition of the “Wind turbine of the month” section, written in collaboration with with Pablo Carazo, a contributor to Windtechs. For those who may not know it, Windtechs is a consultancy and Market Intelligence firm specialised in wind turbine technology.
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Enercon E175 EP5 E2 (7.0 MW)
The E175 EP5 E2 is ENERCON’s flagship variant in the 7 MW class: an onshore wind turbine based on the company’s characteristic direct-drive concept without a gearbox, designed for low to medium wind sites.
The E-175 EP5 E1 variant was the first configuration of the EP5 programme with a 175 m rotor and was introduced as the initial step of the platform, with a rated power of 6.0 MW.
The evolution to E2 is defined by two main changes: the increase in rated power to 7.0 MW and, above all, the introduction of a new permanent magnet generator concept with an outer rotor design (whereas the E1 had an inner rotor generator), which is the typical configuration used by both SGRE and GE in offshore.
The E2 generator is a permanent magnet type and has a similar weight to the E1 (124 tonnes versus 125 tonnes), but features a significantly larger diameter (10 m outer diameter compared to 5.9 m). The air gap has been increased to achieve the required torque and efficiency for this design.
The E2 uses half the number of magnets compared to the E1, despite having higher output power, which is a significant advantage given the supply constraints of rare earth materials.
This generator is specifically designed to be transported in two halves and assembled on site during installation. This is a response to the increasing logistical constraints associated with ever larger onshore rotor diameters.
The following images show the striking external differences between the E1 and the E2.
Main specifications
Rated power: 7 MW (with flexible modes down to 6.0 MW)
Rotor / Swept area: 175 m / 24,053 m2
Power density: 291 W/m2 (at 7 MW)
Hub heights / Towers:
Steel: no reference could be found to any 100% tubular steel tower.
Hybrid (concrete–steel): 112, 132, 162, 175 m
Hybrid segmented steel–tubular steel (Hybrid Steel Tower - HST): 162 m, 175 m. In this concept, the lower sections, the ones with larger diameter, are manufactured in segmented steel (panels or assemblable sections), instead of a full tubular segment. In this way, the main logistical transport limitations associated with large diameters are avoided, while the upper sections are solved with conventional tubular steel.
Enercon has already installed a 120 m unit of the segmented steel + tubular steel hybrid solution (developed ad hoc for a project).
Enercon mentions flexible tower development as part of its commercial strategy.
Drivetrain: Direct-drive without gearbox with permanent magnet synchronous generator
IEC 61400-1 class: Class S or Class IIA (with hub height of 112 m)
Cut-in / Cut-out: 2.0 – 25 m/s
Noise:
Design lifetime: 25 years
Climatic variants:
Standard: –20 °C to +40 °C (derating may apply)
Certification:
Architecture and design
Drivetrain:
Main shaft: Direct-drive architecture without gearbox, supported on 2 preloaded tapered roller bearings (TRB).
The generator is designed with outer rotor and is separable for transport; ENERCON describes its delivery “in two halves”, which are assembled in situ during installation.
Electrical system:
Permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMG) air-cooled.
Full converter located in the nacelle.
Transformer in the rear part of the nacelle.
Medium voltage SF6 switchgear, located at ground level.
Pitch: Electric with one gearbox per blade of three planetary stages and brake integrated in the motor itself.
Yaw: 8 geared motors depending on site conditions. It includes a 3 row roller bearing (3RB) and brakes integrated in the drive motors.
Blade:
86 m in length.
Manufactured in glass fibre and carbon in the main spar (sparcap). It is worth noting that for this 175 rotor this is the first time carbon is introduced.
3 row roller bearing.
Tested in its test bench at Enercon’s Wobben Research & Development (WRD).
Nacelle:
Since its presentation at WindEurope Bilbao 2022, ENERCON has been adopting the change to the so-called E-nacelle. This design change consists of relocating the electrical components that in the previous characteristic compact design were located in the tower (transformer, converter…) to now be located in the nacelle itself, thus aligning with the “up-tower” integration approach already used by most manufacturers.
Another important change is in the electrical cabling system: instead of going down the tower with dozens of low-voltage conductors (48 cables are mentioned), the E-nacelle allows a simplified configuration with a single medium voltage cable down to the base.
The result is a much more industrialised unit oriented to a plug-and-play concept, which arrives on site ready for installation and which drastically reduces electrical works in situ, commissioning times and risk of wiring errors.
As a relevant point, ENERCON currently applies the E-nacelle concept in the models E-138 EP3 E3, E-160 EP5 E3 and in the E-175 EP5 E1 and E2, moving towards greater industrial standardisation. The company has defined this strategy as “one box for all”, a solution that unifies dimensions and nacelle architecture to optimise manufacturing, logistics and integration between platforms.
Installed prototypes
ENERCON indicates that a second turbine will be installed in summer 2026 at Janneby-Süderzollhaus site.
In-house manufacturing
Hub: Aurich (Germany)
Blades: Viana do Castelo (Portugal) and Izmir (Turkey)
Nacelles: Aurich (Germany)
Generator: Magdeburg (Germany) and Lanheses (Portugal)
Track record and commercial pipeline
ENERCON announced a supply contract with Alterric for 13 units of the E-175 EP5 E2, to be installed in the Kutenholz wind farm (Germany), with installation starting in spring 2026 and commissioning in Q4 2026.
ENERCON also announced the debut of the E-175 EP5 E2 in Turkey, with a contract of 10 units (70 MW) for the Demirli wind farm of the developer REGES Elektrik. Two contracts for 20 and 23 units have also recently been announced in Turkey.
Recently they also announced the first unit in the Netherlands. And a framework agreement for 440 MW in Canada.
Competitors
Siemens Gamesa SG7.0-170
Goldwind GWH175-7.8 MW / GWH170-7.2 MW
Envision EN-171/8.X
Sources and links
For a complete due diligence of this platform, contact Windtechs.
Video of the Enercon E175 EP5 E1:
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Disclaimer: The opinions presented in Windletter are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.