Huge prototype floating offshore wind turbine rolls off production line
Machine reported to have swept area equivalent to more than seven football pitches and can withstand massive waves and super typhoons
A huge new floating offshore wind turbine prototype boasting a 17MW power rating has rolled off the production line in China.
The prototype was developed by Chinese manufacturing giant Dongfang Electric and China Huaneng Group, a state-owned power company.
Announcing the news last week, Dongfang claimed that the machine was the world's largest 17MW direct-drive floating offshore wind turbine with the largest single-unit power and rotor diameter.
Compared with other floating offshore wind turbines, Dongfang said its unit has stronger motion adaptability and can continue to generate electricity when the floating body tilts at a greater angle.
The turbine diameter is 262 metres and the swept area is around 53,000 square metres, equivalent to the area of 7.5 standard football pitches, said Dongfang. The hub height is about 152 meters, equivalent to the height of a 50-story residential building.
The turbine can handle ultra-high waves exceeding 24 metres in height and withstand level 17 super typhoons – the highest number on the Beaufort wind force scale.
The annual clean electricity output of this unit can reach 68 million kWh, which can meet the annual electricity needs of about 40,000 households, said Dongfang.
The prototype has been manufactured at a factory in the coastal Chinese city of Fuqing.
Dongfang may not be the biggest name, certainly internationally, when it comes to China’s wind turbine makers, but it has been at the forefront of a highly competitive race to build ever larger models.