Danish wind turbine maker Vestas is planning to create and market the world’s largest wind turbine. Its first 8-MW prototype began generating power at the Danish National Test Centre for Large Wind Turbines in Østerild. Here it is being assembled at the site:

The Most Powerful Turbine Award 2014 Goes Too…..

We’ve come a long way since the first 450-kW offshore wind turbine was installed in 1991 at Vindeby. Vestas’ massive V164-8.0 MW has a 140-metre tower and a tip height of 220 metres. Is bigger always better? Well given the time expense and trouble it takes to get an offshore wind farm operational, it makes sense  to reduce the offshore kilowatt-hour and installation costs by increasing unit capacity. Vestas expects the prototype to be closely monitored to validate its reliability and energy output. Assuming all goes well it will be available for commercial operations next year.

The V164-8.0 MW offshore wind turbine will be the “flagship” product for the offshore joint venture between two companies; Denmark’s Vestas and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Vestas says that the prototype installed in Østerild, Denmark, earlier in the year is being closely monitored to ensure it delivers as anticipated.

While offshore wind farms were all the rage in 2010-12, there has been some lack of enthusiasm since the economic down-turn; according to the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), the number of offshore projects under construction is dropping. Several projects have been abandoned, such as RWE’s Atlantic Array, dropped for technical and economical constraints, and the London Array consortium’s recent cancellation of the massive 630-MW project’s second 320-MW phase because of environmental uncertainties. EWEA says that the European target of 40 GW for 2020 is no longer feasible, and that 27 GW is much more realistic. This is unfortunate indeed, but may cause developers and investors to look again at the feasibility and economic sense of onshore installations.

The reason, analysts say, is that along with policy uncertainties, the wind sector is also generally seeing industry restructuring in much tighter market conditions. The offshore sector is especially exposed owing to its high production costs. Last year, for example, saw German manufacturer Bard file for insolvency in November, sunk by runaway costs of constructing the Bard 1 farm.

Last month Vestas and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries created an offshore joint venture to combine their technical expertise and financial power. The joint venture will boost development for both Vesta’s 8-MW turbine and MHI’s 7-MW SeaAngel prototype, which is scheduled to be installed at the Hunterson Center in the UK later this year. It seems that rivals are clubbing together to weather the temporary down-turn. Spain’s Gamesa and France’s AREVA said in January that they were discussing setting up a 50:50 subsidiary make a commercial push for AREVA’s 5-MW M5000 turbines, as well as AREVA’s 8-MW prototype that is planned to be installed in 2015, with full production beginning in 2018. Gamesa is also developing a 7-MW to 8-MW machine whose prototype is due in 2017.

Will Siemens be the next to form an alliance, or will it continue to plough its own furrow?

Vestas Clinch Italian Deal Previous post Vestas Clinch Italian Deal
Vive Wind La France! Next post Vive Wind La France!