The world’s biggest offshore wind turbine was revealed by China’s Dongfang Electric Company (DEC).
The wind turbine has a power output of 26 megawatts, and reinforces Chinese leadership in the offshore wind energy sector.
It consists of more than 30,000 parts, which include state-of-the-art generators, blades, electronic control systems, bearings, etc, all of which were manufactured in the country, keeping in mind the highest standards of efficiency.
The first such turbine is being readied at the Fujian Fuzhou Offshore Wind Power Industrial Park and will be installed at the Fujian offshore wind farm in the Taiwan Strait, home to some of the largest turbines in the world.
The DEC 26-MW turbine is larger than any other turbine in the world, both by physical size and electrical capacity.
Its hub height, which is the distance from the ground to the central rotor, is 185 m, comparable to a 63-storey building.
Each blade is around 150 m long and weighs several tons.
The world’s biggest offshore wind turbine has a rotor diameter of 310 m, with a swept area which is the circle traced by its blades, about 7.5 hectares larger than any previous turbine and equivalent to over 10 soccer fields.
The massive swept area allows for most wind capture and boosts energy output, which is much higher than small turbines.
This enables each model of the turbine to power 55,000 houses by producing up to 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.
Offshore wind turbines prevent the burning of over 30,000 tonnes of coal and displace over 80,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The earlier record for offshore wind turbines was 18 MW; however, DEC’s 26 MW turbine shows a 31% rise not only in electrical output but also in rotor sweep area.
The world’s biggest offshore wind turbine is typhoon resistant and has anti-corrosion systems, allowing it to withstand typhoons and storms, including harsh marine conditions, salt spray and powerful waves.
It is built for wind speeds of atleast 8 m per second and can function safely in difficult coastal conditions.
China is not the only country which is investing significantly in offshore wind turbines; however, it is the leader in the market in terms of installed capacity and technological advancements, along with investment in research and development.
The country’s recent developments include Mingyang Smart Energy’s 20-MW MySE18.X-20MW in Hainan, and Siemens Gamesa and Vestas turbines which surpass the 15 MW mark.
However, no turbine passes the DEC 26-MW turbine model, both in terms of output and design.
The United Kingdom leads in offshore wind installed capacity outside China, accounting for 22% of global capacity. It has 6 of the 10 biggest offshore wind projects in the world, including Hornsea projects.
Germany boasts 13% of global installed offshore wind capacity on its North Sea and Baltic Sea coastlines dotted with many offshore wind farms.
The Netherlands has recently increased its investments to boost its offshore wind sector with major wind farms such as the 600 MW Gemini off the coast of the Netherlands, being one of the largest in the world.
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