Danish wind power manufacturer Vestas has announced the launch of the world’s most efficient wind turbine, the V163-7.0MW. This huge windmill boasts a 7 megawatt (MW) capacity and a rotor diameter of 164 meters. Improving the commercial viability of renewable energy sources is central to pushing them up the energy supply chain and ultimately reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and offshore wind power projects in particular require substantial investment. The trick is to get as much bang for your buck as possible, and the V163-7.0MW does exactly that as each blade is as long as nine double-decker buses!
Vestas CEO Ditlev Engel says of the new turbine: “We are very pleased to be able to serve the market and show our commitment to the offshore wind industry by introducing our dedicated offshore turbine – the V164-7.0 MW. Seeing the positive indications from governments worldwide, and especially from the UK, to increase the utilisation of wind energy is indeed very promising. We look forward to this new turbine doing its part in making these political targets a reality.”
The innovative part of the new turbine is, along with a wide range of technical features, its size and consequently much increased energy capture. The rotor diameter is big enough to dwarf the EDF London Eye and each blade is so large a double-decker bus could drive right into one (until running out of headroom as each blade tapers at the end, obviously).
“We actually kept all options open from the start, running two separate parallel R&D development tracks; One focusing on direct drive and one on a geared solution. It soon became clear that if we wanted to meet the customers’ expectations about lowest possible cost of energy and high business case certainty we needed a perfect combination of innovation and proven technology and so the choice could only be to go for a medium-speed drive-train solution,” says Finn Strøm Madsen, President of Vestas Technology R&D on this particular design.
To put Europe’s wind energy market in perspective, in 2009, renewable energy and wind accounted for 7% and 2% respectively of energy production, compared with coal at nearly 25%. However by 2020 the 27 EU member states have agreed to grow total energy generated from renewables to 13%, and offshore wind power will be central to this plan.
+ Vestas
Via Energy News 24
i thought vertical wind turbines with magnetic levitation were more efficient than these guys. i don’t see why they aren’t used more often than the traditional horizontal axis
If wind turbines are so lucrative and profitable, why are the companies that make them selling them off? Why don’t they keep the ones they build and set up their own power company to distribute electricity at cheap rates? Why do they sell to third parties? Think about this really hard.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHZKo13HV2A 8:55
@lazyreader: for the same reason that any other company who produces equipment sell it instead of using it?
Worlds best – Hah !
Why does Vestas need to con the world into thinking bigger is better? What is the real efficiency of this new V164-7.0
I bet it is no more than %45
I have developed a 1 meter turbine of %58 efficiency
@FrankLot: what turbine would you suggest for a household?