World’s Largest Wind Turbine Record Reaches 26-MW

China Leads with Record-Breaking Wind Turbine

China, the undisputed leader in wind energy, has set a new milestone with the tallest and most powerful offshore wind turbine, surpassing landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Chrysler Building, and even the largest US aircraft carrier.

Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) is building these massive 26 MW, 340-meter-tall wind turbines at its factory in Fuzhou, Fujian Province.

Impressive Dimensions and Blade Reach

The nacelle hub height reaches 185 meters, while the blade diameter is an impressive 310 meters. The swept area of the blades is 75,477 square meters, equivalent to lining up 12 Boeing 747s or covering 14 NFL football fields.

Despite its colossal size, DEC claims that its offshore turbines are resistant to typhoons and corrosion. They were designed with a “dual anti-typhoon system” to withstand extreme weather conditions, although specific technical details have not been disclosed.

Withstanding Super Typhoons

According to Dongfang, the turbine can endure a Category 17 super typhoon, with winds reaching up to 220 km/h, comparable to a Category 4 hurricane. Super typhoons of this magnitude are described by UNICEF as extremely destructive, capable of sinking large ships and causing severe damage and flooding. It’s quite impressive that these turbines can withstand such harsh conditions.

This technological giant can generate about 100 GWh of electricity annually, assuming wind speeds of 36 km/h, enough to power approximately 55,000 Chinese homes or around 9,200 American households.

Dongfang’s 26 MW turbine significantly surpasses the previous record, held by Mingyang’s 20 MW offshore turbine.

China’s Leadership in Global Wind Energy Capacity

Currently, China has around 470 GW of installed wind power capacity, more than three times the 148 GW of the United States, which ranks second worldwide. Germany holds third place with 69 GW of wind energy.

Interesting fact: Fully utilizing China’s total wind power capacity could theoretically power about 388 million US households, despite the 2023 Census showing only 140 million housing units in the US.

Although this 26 MW turbine is impressive, even larger projects will likely surpass it soon.As discussed in 2021, when the 16 MW Mingyang turbine seemed extraordinary, the longer a turbine’s blades are, the greater the incentive to make them even longer, since the swept area increases exponentially with blade length.

Exponential Growth in Power Generation

To sum up, doubling a turbine’s blade length quadruples the swept area and, consequently, its energy generation capacity. Increasing that length again expands the swept area to up to nine times the original size.

These turbines are already among the largest machines in the world, but there’s every reason to believe they will grow even bigger. Fascinating stuff!

Read the original article on: New Atlas

Read more: World’s Largest: 20-MW Wind Turbine Reigns (for Now)