Chinese company CRRC tests the world's largest wind turbine
CRRC originally built rail vehicles. The Chinese company recently commissioned what is currently the largest wind turbine in the world.
20-megawatt wind turbine from CRRC: The tips of the rotor blades are as fast as high-speed trains.
(Image: CRRC)
The Chinese state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) is testing an offshore wind turbine with an output of 20 megawatts. It is currently the largest wind turbine in the world.
The wind turbine, called Qihang, was installed in the Yellow Sea off the city of Dongying in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong. According to the company, the rotor has a diameter of 260 meters. The hub is 151 meters above the sea surface.
The tips of the rotor blades are designed to reach the speed of a high-speed train. The comparison is obvious: CRRC is a rail vehicle manufacturer. The currently fastest high-speed trains in China travel at 350 km/h.
The wind turbine is expected to supply electricity for 25 years
With one rotation, the wind turbine should generate enough electricity to cover a family's electricity needs for two to four days, the company announced –, referring to electricity consumption in China. CRRC assumes that the wind turbine will run at full load for around 3,500 hours a year. The operating life is expected to be 25 years.
The wind turbine was completed in Shenyang in the northern Chinese province of Liaoning in October and transferred to Dongying in December. According to the CRRC, test operation has been running since January 11.
Larger wind turbines deliver a higher output. This means that more electricity can be generated with fewer turbines. Manufacturers are therefore building ever larger rotors. The largest wind turbine to date comes from Chinese manufacturer Dongfang Electric. It was installed last summer in Shantou in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and has a peak output of 18 megawatts.
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However, the 20 megawatt wind turbine from CRRC will only be the largest for a limited time: Siemens Gamesa plans to install a 21 megawatt wind turbine in the Østerild wind turbine test field on the north coast of mainland Denmark. The Chinese company Mingyang Smart Energy is building one with a capacity of 22 megawatts. Dongfang Electric announced a 26-megawatt wind turbine last fall.
(wpl)
