MingYang Smart Energy, the Chinese manufacturer of offshore wind turbines, has unveiled its latest turbine prototype that can work even in severe typhoons. At 18MW, this is also the world’s largest turbine to date.
With the world agreeing to phase out fossil fuels, solar and wind energy plants will now take center stage in meeting power demands. While solar farms have the limitation of not being able to generate energy during the night, wind turbines can work round the clock, even though their power output might be variable.
Over the years, wind turbines have grown larger and are capable of generating more energy in a single spin. Moving the turbines offshore started with the idea of conserving land for applications such as farming. However, the benefit of tapping into faster-blowing sea winds has now translated into a new industry of offshore wind farming, which is getting bigger by the day.
Guangdong, China-based MingYang Smart Energy has been in the news for the past few years for consistently making wind turbines with increasing power ratings. Interesting Engineering has been covering the company’s achievements since it connected 14 MW turbines to the grid in China in 2021.
In a short period, the company has progressively built the 16MW turbine, which is now being installed, and also breached the 20MW ceiling with its recently unveiled prototype. The company has surpassed the achievements of global turbine makers such as Siemens Gamesa and found competition in compatriots such as GoldWind and CSSC Haizhuang, which have also set their sights on making larger wind turbines.
At its manufacturing facility located in Shanwei, the company recently unveiled the MySE18.X-20 MW offshore wind turbine. The design for the turbine has evolved from the 14-16 MW platforms that it has extensively built and deployed. According to the company’s press release, the turbine design is modular and lightweight and offers high efficiency.
The diameter size of the turbine ranges between 853-958 feet (260-292 meters), depending on the power rating and the area swept by the turbines is similar to nine soccer fields. The annual generation capacity of the turbine is 80 million kWh in the eastern Guangdong region. This would help power 96,000 households and reduce CO2 emissions by 66,000 tonnes.
MingYang Smart Energy has also ensured that its recent turbine design can be deployed in areas with medium to high wind speeds. Additionally, the turbine is equipped with “active anti-typhoon technology” that allows the device to withstand Category 17 typhoons, the company claimed. Details of what this technology involves have not been revealed, but this would mean that the turbine can withstand winds of 183 – 200 feet (56-61 m) per second, the most severe of typhoons the world has seen.
While that is mighty impressive, the tag of the world’s largest turbine is unlikely to last for long. Earlier in October this year, the company unveiled its design for a 22MW design with blades the size of the Eiffel Tower.
With China as the center for manufacturing various components for the wind turbine industry, it is hardly a surprise that the country is churning out bigger and better turbines than the rest of the world.
According to the interestingengineering
