Offshore wind turbine, Photo: Michael H. Sorensen |/Dreamstime.com
The Chinese company Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) from Fujian Province has unveiled the world’s largest offshore wind turbine with a capacity of 26 megawatts. Its dimensions are impressive: it covers an area equal to ten football fields, Offshore Wind reports.
This giant turbine is specially designed for areas with strong winds, where the average speed exceeds 8 m/s. It is also highly resistant to typhoons and corrosion, making it ideal for operation in harsh offshore environments.
The height of the central part of the turbine is 185 metres, which is equal to a 63-storey building. The diameter of the rotor blades exceeds 310 metres, which allows it to capture wind energy as efficiently as possible.
The turbine is capable of generating 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year at an average wind speed of 10 m/s. This will provide energy for about 55,000 households. DEC estimates that one such turbine can reduce carbon emissions by 80,000 tonnes annually.
In June of this year, DEC installed an 18 MW offshore wind turbine, which is already providing electricity to almost 36,000 homes.
Another Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, Mingyang Smart Energy, is competing with DEC. The company has recently installed a turbine in Hainan, designed to operate in regions with high and medium wind speeds, including areas frequently affected by typhoons.
