Who but the Chinese could build it? It will be the largest wind turbine in the world. The size is gigantic. The 128-meter blades will sweep an area of 53 km2. That is the equivalent of seven soccer fields.
This model will be able to generate 44.8 kilowatt-hours of electricity per revolution at full power. That would be more than 74 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year. That is the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 40,000 homes.
Millions of homes
What’s so special about it? Not only the enormity of its construction. This model is above all safe. It uses a holographic sensing system to control and reduce the overall load. It can slow down blade flutter and minimize vibrations in the tower and foundations by 50%.
A huge wind farm is also planned in Guangdong province. It will be an immense 10 kilometers long and will have thousands of powerful turbines. This location has an unusually strong wind. That is why the turbines will be able to generate electricity 43 to 49% of the time.
How much will this wind farm be able to produce? One gigawatt could power 100 million LEDs, or 300,000 European homes. Therefore, the new Chinese facility will be able to power 4.3 billion LED lights or 13 million homes. To put it in perspective: Norway has 31 gigawatts of generating capacity. And 99% of this comes from hydropower. That’s less than the new offshore wind farm in China alone will provide.
Clear trend
China leads the world in renewable energy production. It also builds the largest solar panel on the planet in the Kubuqi desert in Inner Mongolia. It has more than half of the world’s total wind power capacity. It plans to generate one-third of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025.
The world’s largest wind turbine is part of that ambitious plan. They aim to have 1,200 gigawatts of wind and solar power by 2030. And there’s no doubt they’re going to make it.
