There are still no offshore wind turbines in the U.S. because of course it’s so much easier to argue for decades about installing them than actually do anything constructive. The rest of the planet though, is happily installing offshore wind turbines, and making us look ridiculous in the process.
Vestas just received orders for 32 ginormous 8.0 MW V164 turbines, the most powerful ever built. They will be installed in Liverpool Bay in the UK, delivering a total of 258 MW of power, enough for 180,000 homes. The blades are 262 feet long. Hub height is 344 feet, longer than a football field.
About the V164-8.0 MW
Ӣ 8MW rated power, with an optimal rotor to generator ratio
Ӣ 80m blades, the equivalent of nine double decker London buses
Ӣ Swept area of 21.124m2 , larger than the London Eye
Ӣ The nacelle is 20m long, 8m wide and 8m high, weighing approximately 390 tonnes including the hub
Ӣ Approximate hub height of 105m
Ӣ Approximate tip height of 187m
Ӣ Reduces operational and maintenance costs by enabling customers to run fewer, larger turbines
Ӣ World record production by a single wind turbine of 192 MWh in 24 hour period (October 2014)
Siemens makes assembling offshore wind turbines look like assembling Legos…