MHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S unveiled the world’s most powerful turbine, a 9.5-megawatt machine that dwarfs the giant London Eye Ferris wheel.
At 187 meters (614 feet) tall, the tip height of the V164-9.5MW turbine would loom over the 135 meter London Eye tourist attraction on the south bank of the Thames River. A single machine can generate enough power for for 8,300 U.K. homes, the Aarhus, Denmark-based turbine maker said in an email.
“As a leader in the offshore wind industry, we are committed to lowering the cost of energy through innovative turbine technology,” MHI Vestas Chief Executive Officer Jens Tommerup said.
Bigger turbines are key to raising profitability for offshore wind developers. Danish developer Dong Energy A/S, which won 590 megawatts capacity in Germany’s maiden offshore auction in April, is counting on future turbines to be as big as 15 megawatts.
Companies including MHI Vestas and Siemens AG have taken the lead in developing new turbine technologies.
The MHI Vestas machine incorporates a redesigned gearbox and cooling system. Its 80-meter blades have a rotational sweep of 21,124 meters the nacelle, which houses the turbine, weighs 390 tons.
MHI Vestas is a joint venture of Vestas Wind Systems A/S and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.