China’s state-owned Dongfang Electric Corporation has installed an 18MW offshore wind turbine in Guangdong province, Electrek reports.
Related article: World’s first wooden wind turbine blades installed in Germany
The world’s largest by power rating, the Mingyang 18MW offshore wind turbine has a 260m rotor diameter and a swept area of 53,000sqm—equivalent to 7.4 standard football fields.
Dongfang Electric Corporation completed the installation at a coastal test base in Shantou, with the offshore wind farm expected to generate 72GWh of clean electricity annually—enough to power around 36,000 households.
Mingyang recently announced the even-bigger MySE 22MW during the China Wind Power 2023 exhibition in Beijing. The turbine boasts a staggering rated capacity of 22MW and features a 310m+ rotor equipped with carbon-fiber blades.
The turbine has an enormous swept area that will allow it to produce 80GWh of power annually. Larger turbines like the MySE 22MW also drive down costs for wind developers by requiring fewer installations for the same capacity.
Related article: Vestas offshore wind turbine sets new output record
Mingyang claims that compared to using 13MW turbines, its new 22MW model will reduce the number of turbines needed for a 1GW offshore wind farm by 18 units, significantly reducing capital expenditure.
