Vestas reveals plans for colossal 15MW wind turbine

Danish manufacturer Vestas has revealed plans for a record-breaking 15MW wind turbine, which will snatch the title of the world’s most powerful from the 14MW model unveiled by Siemens Gamesa in 2020.

As indicated by the name, the V236 15.0MW turbine will have a rotor diameter of 236 metres – also the world’s largest – with blades more than 115 metres long. It will stand 261 metres tall from base to tip and is expected to produce up to 80GWh of electricity each year.

The first prototype is expected to be installed in 2022, with serial production scheduled to begin in 2024.

Vestas president and chief executive Henrik Andersen said: “Introducing our new offshore platform is a huge achievement for everyone at Vestas, as it marks a big leap forward in a very important journey.

“As a global renewables leader, every decision Vestas takes today must be in service of building scale for renewables in the future – only by doing this can we ensure a more sustainable future energy system.

“Offshore wind will play an integral role in the growth of wind energy and the V236-15.0 MW will be a driver in this development by lowering levelised cost of energy thus making our customers more competitive in offshore tenders going forward”.

Chief technology officer Anders Nielsen said: “With the V236-15.0 MW, we raise the bar in terms of technological innovation and industrialisation in the wind energy industry, in favour of building scale.

“By leveraging Vestas’ extensive proven technology, the new platform combines innovation with certainty to offer industry-leading performance while reaping the benefits of building on the supply chain of our entire product portfolio. The new offshore platform forms a solid foundation for future products and upgrades”.

Vestas recently took full ownership of its joint offshore wind venture with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – MHI Vestas – after buying out its partner.