Known as the largest wind turbine in the world, Mingyang Smart Energy announced the installation of this project. As it was switched on for the first time, the Chinese company is pleased with its success. Based in Hainan, we bring you all the details of this project.
The world’s largest plant surprises many
Installed by Mingyang Smart Energy, the company pronounced last week that this is “the world’s largest single-capacity offshore wind turbine.”
According to its capacity, the wind turbine delivers a power output of up to 20 MW, breaking its previous record of an impressive 18MW model in 2023. The energy company stated that the MySE18.X-20MW turbine is designed to be lightweight, modular, and highly reliable.
“With its massive wind rotor diameter of 260-292 m (853-958 ft), it has a maximum wind sweeping area of 66,966 sq m – that’s more than 12 NFL football fields,” explained New Atlas.
Boasting history of building the largest turbines seen in many of our oceans, the company noted that with an annual average wind speed of 8.5m/s, its new turbine can generate 80 million kWh of electricity; that’s said to be enough to power housing for 96,000 residents annually.
Can this largest turbine withstand extreme conditions?
Yes, the company is proud to announce that with such a large wind turbine, extreme weather conditions such as typhoons cannot affect its power generation.
Mingyang said it’s built this one to withstand level-17 typhoons at wind speeds of up to 79.8 m/s (178.5 mph). It’s also published that such a project or the size of a wind turbine is not essential to only increase clean energy production, but also to make such efforts more cost-effective.
Talking about future projects, the energy firm revealed it is also easier to transport large towers and blades out to sea on ships than by road, explaining that with bigger turbines comes more energy.
Mingyang also has a larger offshore turbine in the works, a turbine that is capable of delivering 22 MW of power. “That’s slated to be installed next year, with a swept area of – phew – 75,477 sq m. Just writing about it has got my megalophobia acting up,” added the news outlet.
China becoming a green energy pioneer
TheDiary24 published that inspite of having built the reputation of becoming a contributor to global warming and toxic emissions, the Asian country is becoming one of the nations going green.
Despite this massive milestone by Mingyang Smart Energy, the installation and activation of the turbine have brought about an unforeseen consequence: changes in the microclimate surrounding the installation site.
“Although wind turbines typically change airflows, the structure’s unparalleled size is enhancing these impacts, leading researchers to investigate how such enormous installations can affect regional weather patterns,” it’s reported.
The report further states that Hainan was chosen as a preferred location with care to maximise the benefits of ideal wind speeds and its separation from the continental shelf, two factors that the turbine was specially made to perform well in.
“In order to comprehend the long-term effects of these changes, researchers are currently keeping a careful eye on them,” concluded the energy publication.
“The turbine is specifically suited for locations that are prone to typhoons and is intended for worldwide deployment in areas with medium-to-high wind speeds. The wind turbine can tolerate gusts of up to 79.8 m/s, according to the Mingyang website (Memija, 2024).”
With the potential to smash records, this is the biggest wind turbine ever made and it’s height is rated as the least of its many advantages.