The world’s largest offshore wind turbine has achieved a milestone by setting a new record for electricity generation by an individual wind turbine in a single day, after opening during typhoon conditions. The rotor diameter of Goldwind’s GWH252-16MW intelligent wind turbine is 252 meters (827 feet). Additionally, it covers an area that can be swept that is nearly 50,000 square meters i.e. 538,195 square feet—seven regular football fields. The hub of the turbine is 146 meters (479 feet) tall, which is equivalent to a 50-story structure. The record was achieved on September 1 according to state-owned power company China Three Gorges (CTG), which broke all the previous records set by Danish company Vestas in August.
The 16 MW wind turbine was installed in the offshore Hangpu Liuao Phase 2 wind farm in the Southeastern Fujian province and came into public on July 19. Zhangpu Liuao Phase 2 is in the process to developed and constructed by the state-owned power corporation China Three Gorges (CTG). In September, the wind turbine came up against wind speeds of around 85 km/h which is 53 mph, and a hike of 23.56 meters per second in the face of Typhoon Haikui. As per the South China Morning Post, “While traditional wind turbines automatically lock their blades to avoid overload when wind speeds exceed 25 meters per second, this intelligent unit can adjust its blades in real time, continuing to generate electricity.” At full speed, each blade of the turbine can reach up to 70% faster than the speed of sound, and its rotor has a diameter of 252 meters, more than twice that of the London Eye.
The amazing record-breaking powerful wind turbine features an innovative design that allows it to set its blades accordingly when wind reaches high speeds. This feature allows it to continue its operations during Typhoon Haikui during which conventional turbines were forced to shut down. “We are closely monitoring critical components like the main control program, pitch system, and generators to gradually lift power restrictions while ensuring operational safety.”
China has a long history of high carbon energy consumption, making it popular for being the source of greenhouse gas emissions. However, it has made significant investments in renewable energy sources like solar and wind.
The largest win turbine produced 384.1 megawatt-hours which is considered enough to power nearly 170,000 homes, which is indeed a new record for an individual wind turbine in a single day time period. According to the reports, the previous world record for the same period was only just set in mid-August. Danish wind giant Vestas’s V236-15.0 MW prototype produced 363 megawatt-hours of power in 24 hours.
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