World’s most powerful wind turbine once again smashes 24 hour power generation record

MHI Vestas Offshore Wind unveiled its uprated 8 MW wind turbine, enabling its 8 MW platform to reach 9 MW at specific site conditions. The company’s prototype at Østerild broke the energy generation record for a commercially available offshore wind turbine on Thursday 1st December, producing 216,000 kWh (actual figures 215,999.1 kWh) over a 24 hour period.

 

The new V164 can reach a rated power of 9 MW depending on specific site conditions. The increased energy production per wind turbine will add greater value for many projects and save on Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) costs as fewer machines will be needed to meet the park capacity.

“We are committed to delivering turbine technology that is in line with the development of our industry, based on our 20+ years of offshore experience. Reliability remains a key enabler, and our approach to developing our existing platform supports this strategy,” said Torben Hvid Larsen, CTO.

“Our prototype at Østerild sets yet another record for power production, producing 216,000 kWh over a 24 hour period. We are confident that the 9 MW machine has now proven that it is ready for the market and we believe that our wind turbine will play an integral part in enabling the offshore industry to continue to drive down the cost of energy.”

The 9 MW wind turbine is part of the product portfolio designed to deliver affordable offshore wind power. The turbine is based on the V164-8.0 MW, a machine already installed at the 258 MW Burbo Bank Extension, and which has a firm order book of over 1.6 GW.

Installation of the first project with the most powerful serially produced turbine was successfully completed on 14 December 2016, utilising the V164-8.0 MW. MHI Vestas has further developed this platform in a continued commitment to deliver affordable offshore wind power.

About MHI Vestas Offshore Wind
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind is a joint venture between Vestas Wind Systems A/S 50% and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) 50%. The company’s sole focus is to design, manufacture, install and service wind turbines for the offshore wind industry. The company aims to drive down the cost of energy from offshore wind parks by driving capital and operating savings, and increasing output of wind turbines by bringing the best technology to the market. The company is founded on collaboration, and creating powerful partnerships with key stakeholders will be the cornerstone of its business model.

• 1 April 2014: MHI Vestas Offshore Wind officially launched

• 5 October 2014: V164-8.0 MW smashes world power record for power produced by a wind turbine (up to 16,000 British households)
• 12 November 2014: MHI Vestas Offshore Wind awarded Renewable UK “Breakthrough of the year 2014”
• 19 December 2014: First V164-8.0 MW order from DONG Energy for Burbo Bank Extension project
• 31 December 2014: V164-8.0 MW awarded Offshore Wind Turbine of the Year
• 18 May 2015: MHI Vestas Offshore Wind signs its largest offshore order for the 400 MW Rampion project
• 24 August 2015: MHI Vestas Offshore Wind signs conditional contract for 450 MW Borkum Riffgrund 2 project in Germany
• 16 December 2015: MHI Vestas Offshore Wind wins 330 MW order for Walney Extension in the UK
• 24 April 2016: First two commercial V164-8.0 MW turbines inaugurated at Maade in Denmark
• 7 July 2016: Vattenfall places order for the 400 MW Horns Reef 3 project in Denmark.

• 8 MW rated power, with an optimal rotor to generator ratio
• 80 m blades, the equivalent of nine double decker London buses
• Each blade weighs 35 tonnes
• Swept area of 21,124 m2, larger than the London Eye
• The nacelle is 20 m long, 8 m wide and 8 m high, weighing approximately 390 tonnes
• Approximate hub height of 105 m (Østerild prototype 140 m)
• Approximate tip height of 187 m (Østerild prototype 220 m)
• Reduces operational and maintenance costs by enabling customers to run fewer, larger turbines
• The platform has a world record production by a single wind turbine of 216 MWh in 24-hour period (December 2016)