The designation of "world's largest" wind turbine seems to be a fleeting recognition, as innovations taking the tech to new heights frequently make headlines.
Some of the latest windcatchers also leverage wood, unique shapes, and extreme designs to create electricity.
The latest turbine coming from China's Mingyang Smart Energy is made for higher gusts and can generate power in typhoons. Electrek reported the turbine can function in winds as fast as nearly 137 miles per hour.
Mingyang seems motivated by its own progress, besting its self-made milestones in an impressive timeframe. The large-scale turbine tech, for example, was already making headlines in 2023.
In the latest story, Electrek noted that Mingyang's giant has a massive rotor diameter with a "swept area" covering the equivalent of nine soccer fields.
The big turbine, called (a bit cryptically) MySE 18.X-20MW, can power 96,000 homes, reducing air pollution (by replacing dirty-energy electricity production) at a rate of nearly 73,000 tons a year, Mingyang noted in a post on LinkedIn. It's located in eastern Guangdong province.
"We will benefit the whole world by providing smart energy, and make greater contributions to the energy transformation and green and low-carbon development in the world," Mingyang chairman and CEO Zhang Chuanwei said on the company's website.
Experts consider offshore wind to be a growing market. BloombergNEF forecasts the sector to grow tenfold by 2035.
It's part of how we can better utilize wind and other renewables to create cleaner power. What's more, the tech doesn't have to be astoundingly large to be substantial. An international team of scientists is working on a way to generate electricity when low-speed air passes over droplets, for example.
Mingyang, China's largest private wind turbine maker, per Electrek, seems to be all in on offshore wind power. Its "Solutions" page is filled with information about blade designs, electrical details, and control systems. There's even a remote data center that analyzes performance and maintenance needs.
The typhoon-resistant turbines are billed as being designed for "global deployment in medium-to-high wind speed regions," per Mingyang's LinkedIn post.
"It marks our commitment to advancing technology for deeper waters and delivering innovative, more powerful solutions," Mingyang wrote in the post.
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