GE Renewable Energy’s prototype Haliade-X offshore wind turbine has become operational. The Haliade-X is touted as the most robust offshore wind turbine ever built. It is capable of producing 14 megawatts and 74 GHh gross annual energy production.
Haliade-X also beats the record in efficiency among ocean-based wind facilities. Its 60 to 64 percent capacity goes well above industry standards.
Key features of Haliade-X
The Haliade-X can produce 12W, 13MW, or 14MW. Other specifications include a 107-meter blade, 220-meter rotor, and digital features.
GE Renewable Energy executive Vincent Schellings explained that commissioning the prototype sometime in November 2019 was a big leap forward. He added that so much has been learned to operate and optimize the wind turbines performance. This explains why the company was able to update the platform to 14MW.
Haliade-Xs performance can be attributed to a larger rotor, higher capacity factor, and longer blades. These features make it withstand wind variations, enabling it to predict and generate power better even at low wind conditions. Given these specs, Haliade-X tops any other offshore wind turbine in achieving Annual Energy Production targets.
For instance, the latest Haliade-X 14 MW turbine has a gross annual production output of 74GHh. This means its able to save nearly 52,000 metric tons of CO2, a figure that translates to the emissions coming from 11,000 vehicles annually.
The first Haliade-X 14 MW will be integrated in the northeast coast off of England in the UK, specifically in the Dogger Bank C offshore wind farm. The company further stated that it would install 87 of its wind turbines to the Dogger Bank C.
As a result, Dogger Bank A, B, and C wind farms will emerge as the largest offshore wind farm in the world by 2026. Its collective output is estimated to be 18TWh yearly. Moreover, the UK government intends to increase its offshore wind generating capacity four-fold to 40 GW by 2030. Meanwhile, in the US, President Joe Biden has set an offshore wind generating power amounting to 30GWh within that year as well.
The US recently ordered GE Renewable Energys Haliade-X turbines for Massachusetts-based Vineyard Wind 1, the nations pioneering utility-scale offshore wind farm.
Vineyard Wind 1s power generation capacity is expected to begin in 2023 and will supply the electricity needs of not less than 400,000 Massachusetts homes and businesses. Not only that, the offshore wind farm is estimated to slash carbon emissions by 1.6 million tons. It is also expected to reduce its carbon emissions by more than 1.6 million tons per year.
Undoubtedly, GEs Haliade-X will make offshore wind a more cost-effective and competitive source of clean energy.