Chinese company launches revolutionary 26- megawatt wind turbine

China’s Dongfang Electric Corp. has unveiled a groundbreaking 26-megawatt turbine, setting a new record for turbine size in a significant advancement for the offshore wind industry.

This new turbine even outstrips the largest models that have been announced but not yet built. Turbine manufacturers are aiming to increase the size of offshore equipment to lower costs by producing more energy from fewer units, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

However, further price reductions are essential, as this technology is still more expensive than fossil fuels like coal in many regions. Chinese manufacturers are also contending with strong competition from their counterparts and have consistently set new size records in recent years. 

Dongfang included images of the nacelle, a key component of the turbine that houses the generator, in its announcement, but did not display other parts of the clean-energy machine, such as the blades.

The company specified that the blades have a diameter of 310 meters (1,017 feet). Based in Chengdu, Sichuan, Dongfang also produces 18-megawatt turbines, and in June, it reported that one of its turbines had begun generating electricity off the coast of Guangdong province. 

Other manufacturers, including China’s Mingyang Smart Energy Group Ltd. and Windey Energy Technology Group Co., also produce turbines of this size. Additionally, last week, CRRC Corp Ltd., another Chinese wind turbine manufacturer, announced that it has created the largest floating offshore wind turbine, boasting a capacity of 20 megawatts. These announcements precede China’s major industry event, China Wind Power, which kicks off Wednesday in Beijing.

By Naila Huseynova