By Our Web Desk
MingYang Smart Energy has released details of a huge new offshore wind turbine, with the Chinese company aiming to install a prototype in 2023 before starting commercial production the year after.
With a height of 264 meters (866 feet), a rotor diameter of 242 meters and a blade length of 118 meters, the scale of the MySE 16.0-242, as it’s known, will be considerable.
MingYang is one of several companies attempting to scale-up the size of offshore wind turbines. GE Renewable Energy’s Haliade-X turbine, for example, will have a tip-height of 260 meters, 107-meter long blades and a 220-meter rotor.
Its capacity will be able to be configured to 12, 13 or 14 MW. A prototype of the Haliade-X, in the Netherlands, has a tip-height of 248 meters.
Elsewhere, Vestas has revealed plans for a 15 MW turbine, while Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is working on a 14 MW model, the SG 14-222 DD, which can also be boosted to 15 MW if required.
As technology develops, the size of turbines is increasing. In a report published earlier this year, industry body WindEurope said the average rated capacity of turbines installed in Europe last year was 8.2 MW, a 5% increase on 2019. Capacity refers to the maximum amount a turbine can produce, not necessarily what it’s currently generating.
China remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels but it is also becoming a powerhouse in offshore wind. According to data from GWEC Market Intelligence, China installed more than half the planet’s offshore wind capacity last year.
SOURCE: CNBC
