Wind

China's CRRC installs 20MW floating wind turbine

Prototype latest milestone in relentless drive from wind turbine makers to produce ever larger machines

CRRC workers stand in front of the monolithic turbine, installed onshore at its testing base in China's eastern Shandong province.
CRRC workers stand in front of the monolithic turbine, installed onshore at its testing base in China's eastern Shandong province.Photo: CRRC
Journalist

Chinese state-owned manufacturing giant CRRC has installed a prototype 20MW floating offshore wind turbine that's among the largest ever erected globally.

CRRC – best known as a leading railway supplier – installed the turbine in its testing base in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong on 11 January.

The machine has a 260-metre rotor diameter and a maximum blade tip height of 320 metres. Its 53,000 square metres swept area is equivalent to seven standard football pitches.

Each full spin of its blades generates 40kWh of power, enough to meet the electricity demands of a family for two to four days, says CRRC.

CRRC says the wind turbine is the world’s most powerful floating machine, exceeding the rating of new 16MW and 18.8MW models produced by Chinese rivals Windey and Mingyang.
Indeed, the turbine may have a temporary claim to being the joint largest installed wind turbine on Earth, for the moment at least. Mingyang installed a 20MW prototype hailed as the world's largest last year, although it recently suffered multiple blade breaks during testing.
A picture of the giant machine being installed.Photo: CRRC
Other turbines exceeding 20MW in power are in production. Siemens Gamesa is in the process of installing what is reported to be a 21MW prototype in Denmark. Another Chinese OEM, Goldwind, last month rolled components for a 22MW machine off the production line.

CRRC says its new model integrates cutting-edge technologies to ensure that the floating unit remains stable during operation. It also features multiple typhoon-resistant technologies.

The model rolled off the production line of a CRRC factory in Jiangsu province in October and was shipped in December as the massive structure made its way to the test site.

When eventually installed at sea, the turbine will be set on a "six-degrees-of-freedom" floating wind platform. After completing the relevant tests and certifications, CRRC said the turbine will be put into deep sea areas for grid-connected power generation.

CRRC revealed to Recharge last year that it has already taken its first order for two of the behemoth 20MW floating turbines from Power Construction Corporation of China, better known as PowerChina, which is also state-owned.

The relentless arms race to build ever-larger turbines has fuelled concerns in the wind industry about the reliability of new models. It is also putting strain on the supply chain, including installation vessels, which are struggling to accommodate the ever-larger machines.

(Copyright)

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Published 16 January 2025, 16:35Updated 16 January 2025, 16:57
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