Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas today announced the launch of its new offshore wind turbine – the V236-15.0MW. It replaces the North American conglomerate GE Haliade-X of 14 MW as having the distinction of being the largest offshore wind turbine in the world.
A comparison
The V236-15.0MW will have a rotor with a diameter of 774 feet (236 meters) and a windswept area of 470,845 square feet (43,743 square meters).
In comparison, GE’s Haliade-X has a rotor diameter of 722 feet (220 meters) and a windswept area of 409,168 square feet (38,013 square meters).
GE’s 14 MW Haliade-X turbines will be used for the first time at Equinor’s and SSE’s Dogger Bank, the world’s largest offshore wind farm, as Electrek reported on December 18. The installation of the 14 MW Haliade-X turbines is scheduled to begin in 2025, before the completion of the entire Dogger Bank project in 2026.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is also working on a 14 MW turbine that could also be increased to 15 MW, if necessary.
The Vestas V236-15.0MW
Vestas V236-15.0MW increases wind power production to around 80 GWh / year, enough to supply around 20,000 European homes and save more than 38,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of removing 25,000 passenger cars from the roads annually.
Vestas says it has optimized the design synergies of its existing turbines, such as the V174-9.5 MW:
The globally applicable offshore turbine offers annual energy production 65% higher than the V174-9.5 MW and, for a 900 MW wind farm, increases production by 5% with 34 fewer turbines.
The first V236-15.0 MW prototype is expected to be installed in 2022, while series production is scheduled for 2024.
Henrik Andersen, President and CEO of Vestas, said:
Offshore wind energy will play a key role in the growth of wind energy and the V236-15.0 MW will be a driver in this development, reducing the level cost of energy, thus making our customers more competitive in offshore bids in the future.
As CNBC reports, Vestas’ revenue in 2020 reached € 14.8 billion ($ 17.9 billion), an increase of 22% compared to 2019, despite the pandemic.
Electrek’s Take
I’m not going to lie, I’m really a nerd in this stuff.
When you think that offshore wind turbines cannot get bigger, they increase. And, damn it, I really want to get on a boat and see the sweeping, powerful beauty of an offshore wind farm firsthand, when the trip is safe again. It must be mind-blowing. I’ve seen hundreds of onshore wind turbines in Denmark, but the offshore giants will be a different experience.
One of the most exciting things about, and writing about, renewable energies is the pleasure of learning about the latest innovations, anticipating when they will be put into action and actually seeing them in action. Will they really cause a Green Revolution, like the 19th century (but much cleaner) Industrial Revolution? That’s where hope comes in.
I can’t wait to see these sweeping giants from Vestas, GE and Siemens at the maximum and for the healthy competition to continue. Will 16 MW follow? Place your bets.
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