While the world has been committed to phasing out fossil fuels, solar and wind power plants play a central role in meeting humanity's electricity needs.
However, it is a fact that while solar farms have the limitation of not being able to generate energy at night, wind turbines can operate around the clock, although their power output may be much lower.
China unveils world's first level 17 typhoon-resistant offshore wind turbine. (Illustration: Getty Image)
Over the years, wind turbines have become larger and more capable of generating more energy at a time. Now, the exploitation of the benefits of offshore wind has shifted to a new industry: the design and construction of offshore wind turbines.
MingYang Smart Energy, a Chinese offshore wind turbine manufacturer, has unveiled its latest prototype turbine that can operate even in severe storms. With a capacity of 18-20 MW, it is also the world's largest turbine to date.
The company, based in Guangdong, China, has been making waves over the past few years, steadily building wind turbines with ever-increasing power ratings. Starting with 14 MW turbines that went online in China in 2021, the company has been slowly building 16 MW wind turbines in a short period of time. The newly announced model has a capacity of up to 18-20 MW.
At its manufacturing facility in Shanwei, the company unveiled its MySE18.X-20 MW offshore wind turbine. The new offshore wind turbine design is based on the 14-16 MW models that the company has already built and deployed extensively.
The MySE18.X-20 MW turbine design is modular, lightweight, and highly efficient. The turbines range in diameter from 260 to 292 meters, providing electricity to 96,000 households and reducing CO2 emissions by 66,000 tons for the eastern Guangdong region, according to a company press release.
MingYang Smart Energy also ensures that their new turbine design can be deployed in areas with medium to high wind speeds. In addition, the turbine is equipped with active storm protection technology, allowing the device to withstand a level 17 storm (56.1-61.2 m/s).
While that’s impressive, the title of world’s largest turbine isn’t likely to last long. Earlier this October, the company also unveiled its next new prototype, a 22 MW design with blades the size of the Eiffel Tower.
HUYNH DUNG ((Source: Interestingengineering))
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