The offshore wind industry Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. reached another size milestone with a top manufacturer reporting plans for a wind turbine with blades that extend about the height of the Eiffel Tower.
China’s Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd. plans to build a 22-megawatt turbine with a rotor diameter of more than 310 meters, a spokesperson said. As turbine hubs are required to be set tall enough to make sure blades don’t dip into the water, that means that at their apex, the tips of blades will be near the Eiffel Tower’s 330-meter height.
Longer blades catch more wind and generate more power. Larger turbines usually drive down prices for wind developers by demanding fewer installations for the same capacity.
Ming Yang reported the design on Wednesday and plans to build the first one by 2024 or 2025, the company said. In January, the firm had revealed plans for an 18-megawatt, 140-meter diameter turbine that at the time was the world’s biggest.
Ming Yang also disclosed its biggest onshore wind turbine this week, with 11 megawatts of capacity and blades that can cover the area of six soccer fields, the company said.
Onshore turbines are beginning to become too big for some markets, due to allowing and logistical restrictions, according to BloombergNEF.
