Just a few years ago, China was labeled the “black hole of global pollution.” Fast forward 15 years, and the country is emerging as a leader in renewable energy, with massive projects like the Three Gorges Dam. However, their most surprising achievement has remained hidden until recently. Now revealed, it’s the largest wind turbine ever built, spanning 500,000 ft² over the ocean. But it’s creating an unforeseen impact that experts have been cautioning about for some time.
China has broken all-existing records: This new energy is being generated from the sea
Currently, Mingyang Smart Energy has made a major step in the offshore wind sector and demonstrated the operational culture of a unique 20 MW offshore wind turbine. This colossal machine has now stood the test of time and has become the epitome of the company’s technological advancements, breaking wind energy records.
The largest wind turbine with a capacity of 16 MW was commissioned on August 28, 2024, in Hainan – one of the Chinese provinces in the South China Sea. This location was chosen to maximize both wind speed, and distance from the continental shelf, environments that the turbine was absolutely built to thrive in.
There’s something more beyond conventional wind energy: This turbine works even with typhoons
The 20 MW Mingyang turbine boasts an array of impressive features that set it apart from its predecessors:
- Power Rating: The three-bladed enchantment constituted by the Garador LK 6000 can generate power ranging from X to 20 MW, depending on the wind circumstances encountered.
- Rotor Diameter: Landscapewise, it boasts the largest rotor diameter, which ranges from 260 to 292 meters (853 to 958 feet). This tremendous sweep area, which occupies an actual area of nine football fields, allows the turbine to harvest tremendous amounts of wind power.
- Design Philosophy: The turbine is designed in a modular and lightweight format, which adds efficiency to the machine and also makes the transportation and installation easier.
- Wind Speed Tolerance: As introduced earlier, the turbine is intended for medium- to high-wind speed regions, especially for typhoon-prone areas. It also has an active Anti-Typhoon System designed for Category 17 typhoons.
China has broken three records but wants more: What could happen from now on?
Mingyang does not seem to be complacent about its success. The firm is also planning a far bigger 22 MW turbine, to create a machine of this scale by 2025. Moreover, the development of the Mingyang 20 MW turbine represents a significant leap in offshore wind technology:
- Size Progression: Indeed, only three years ago a 15 MW turbine would have been proven to be exceptional. An example of such evolution can be the progress from 10MW Mingyang has made in such a short time as several years that reflects the idea of increasing tempo of advancements in the industry.
- World’s Largest: First, having installed the MySE 18. X-20MW got transformed into the world’s largest single-capacity offshore wind turbine, surpassing past records.
- Technological Advancements: Such a large and capable turbine was achieved with the help of developments in manufacturing and through the use of carbon fiber materials.
This is, as you have seen, the largest wind turbine ever created, with record-breaking potential. Its height, in fact, is the least of it, since energy efficiency is skyrocketing, and it has a much greater potential than the nuclear power plants that we in America want to “resurrect” (one of them, after 50 years of disuse). The idea is simple: decarbonize and, if there is no space, do it over the sea, as we have demonstrated in New York.