Turbine maker Siemens Gamesa has filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against US rival GE, which, if successful, could prevent the latter’s 12-13MW Haliade-X offshore machines from being built, Recharge has learned.

GE said the lawsuit “has no merit” and “appears to be a retaliatory move” after the US company filed a patent-infringement complaint against Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) in August.

The German-Spanish OEM accuses GE and its renewable energy unit of infringing two patents — one for a method of enhancing direct-drive performance, and one for a structural support that enables turbines to be scaled up in size. It is seeking an order that would prevent further use of its patented inventions, as well as unspecified royalties.

If SGRE wins its lawsuit, there could be major repercussions throughout the offshore wind industry. The Haliade-X is currently the largest commercially available wind turbine, with 190 13MW models ordered for the 3.6MW Dogger Bank project off the UK, the world’s largest. Further 12MW units are due to be installed at the 120MW Skipjack array off Delaware and the 1.1GW Ocean Wind project off New Jersey.

Siemens Gamesa has unveiled a rival 14-15MW model that is expected to be market ready by 2024.

The German-Spanish OEM confirmed the new lawsuit in a statement to Recharge: “On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy filed a patent infringement complaint against GE Renewable Energy in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida alleging that GE’s offshore wind turbine Haliade-X infringes Siemens Gamesa’s offshore Direct Drive technology patents.

“As the global leading provider of offshore wind turbines… [Siemens Gamesa] invests heavily in research and innovation to increase efficiency and reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE). The protection of intellectual property rights is essential to foster continued investments in innovation.

“Siemens Gamesa is determined to protect its offshore Direct Drive technology innovations and believes firmly in the case against GE.”

Back in August, GE sought to block imports of Siemens Gamesa onshore turbines, accusing the European company of using patented voltage ride-through technology, which protects turbines from dramatic fluctuations in power.

At the time, Philip Totaro, chief executive of renewables market intelligence company IntelStor, said the lawsuit represented “the latest in a string of IP [intellectual property] enforcement activities by GE to try and control the US market, and restrain competition from gaining too great a competitive advantage”.

“The tactic is hardly a new one,” he added. “Part of the strategy which GE has employed to gain control and then to retain control of the top spot in the United States wind energy market was to leverage their patent portfolio and use their intellectual property rights to enjoin competitors from gaining ground on them.

“Using the threat of patent infringement litigation, GE was successfully able to enforce their intellectual property rights against competitors including Nordex, SGRE and Senvion. GE was also able to use their IPR [intellectual property rights] to exclude competitors like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries of Japan and Enercon of Germany from participating in the US market.”

The US International Trade Commission has initiated a review of GE's complaint and a final decision on the matter is not expected until early 2022.

Wind

Siemens Gamesa seeks to halt GE Haliade-X production in 'retaliatory' patent lawsuit