Chinese engineers have created a prototype floating wind turbine that says its generation records have been broken.
The turbine is the result of research by China’s energy giant China Huaneng Group and generator Dongfang Electric Corporation, both of which are state-owned companies.
Each turbine can produce 17 megawatts (MW) of clean electricity, or 68 million kilowatt hours (kWh) in a year. This is enough to bolster approximately 6,300 US households per US energy management data.
You might like it
To generate this power, the nacelle, the central component within the wind turbine containing the actual generator, is located on a tower 489 feet (152 meters) tall and has a blade that is 860 feet (262 meters) in diameter.
Each “sweep” or 360 degree rotation of the blade includes the value of 53,000 square meters, or almost eight soccer fields.
Increasing the amount of electricity a single turbine can generate is important in promoting the adoption of wind power generation, as it reduces the total number of turbines that need to be installed at each wind farm. This reduces costs and reduces the time it takes for the turbine to start producing power.
Of course, the more you get to the winter bin, the more you can be forced to bear. China Huaneng Group says the test turbines can withstand waves above 78 feet (24 m) high, typhoon speed winds, and waves above 64 knots (73 mph).
The manufacturer will test turbines off the coast of Yangjiang, China in the coming months.
The floating wind expands the stadium
Offshore wind farms are more expensive to build and produce more expensive energy per unit than onshore counterparts, but when wind turbines are delivered into the ocean, they are exposed to more constant and intense winds.
Most offshore wind turbines are “fixed bottom” devices. That is, they are moored to the seabed. This is a cost-effective way to install wind farms in shallow waters, such as the North Sea, which has an average depth of just 295 feet (90 m).
Current fixed offshore turbines, such as the GE Vernova Haliade-X turbines used at Doggarbank Farms in the UK, are 13 MW, while Dongfang Electric unveiled a 26 MW fixed bottom turbines in June 2025.
However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), most of the world’s oceans are not suitable for fixed-bottom turbines. The deepest offshore wind turbine foundation was installed as part of SSE’s Seagreen Wind Farm, in a 58.6m water body off the coast of Scotland.
However, this is very deep in the case of offshore winds, and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) evaluates all water over 50 m as not suitable for fixed-bottom turbines.
Meanwhile, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) estimates that 80% of the world’s offshore wind potential is deeper than 195 feet (60 m) and is too deep for fixed-bottom turbines.
As the use of floating wind turbines increases, energy companies and nations can significantly increase the amount of energy generated from the wind by placing turbines in deeper waters.
For example, countries like Japan, which have not been able to use deep territorial waters for wind power generation, can use floating turbines as sources of renewable energy. Japan has set ambitious targets to achieve 30-45 GW wind energy production by 2040, with floating wind turbines expected to play a major role.
Source link
