Copyright Interesting Engineering
China’s largest private wind turbine manufacturer has just announced plans to develop the world’s largest floating offshore wind turbine, which could redefine the future of deep-water wind power. Zhongshan-based Mingyang Smart Energy, a global leader in semi-direct drive technology for offshore wind power, revealed that its upcoming 50-megawatt (MW) floating turbine will feature a twin-head, V-shaped design. The new wind turbine’s concept reportedly builds on the firm’s earlier OceanX platform, which introduced a 16.6-megawatt dual-rotor configuration last year. In addition, the coming system will combine two 25-megawatt engines mounted on a shared structure, thus nearly doubling the capacity of any existing floating turbine design. The firm’s recent announcement highlights the East Asian nation’s swift progress in renewable energy and its ambition to lead the next frontier of offshore power generation. New floating wind design As per the company, the turbine will represent a massive step forward in scale and engineering complexity. Planned for deployment in deep waters, it will use twin 951-feet (290 meters) rotors, each longer than three football fields. Zhang Qiying, Ming Yang’s president of international business, pointed out at an industry conference in Beijing on October 21, that the capacity of the new turbine would be nearly double the size of the largest available design at 20 megawatts. In the meantime, Zhang Chuanwei, Mingyang Smart Energy chairman and CEO, disclosed that the company plans to begin marketing the turbine immediately, with mass production set for 2026. Chuanwei further elaborated that the new two-headed turbine aims to offer a cost of less than USD 1,300 per kilowatt, significantly lower than the USD 6,100 average in Europe and USD 3,000 to 4,300 in China. The CEO also noted that the company expects to produce several hundred units of the 50-megawatt wind turbine to meet rising global demand. “The floating generators will be manufactured in Guangdong with an annual capacity of 50 units starting next year, which can later be expanded to 150 a year in a second phase,” he stated. Pushing offshore limits The company’s latest model is based on its OceanX dual-rotor turbine, which can continue generating power even in Category 5 hurricane conditions with winds up to 161 miles per hour (260 kilometers per hour). Moreover, the platform’s V-shaped tower and Y-shaped floating base were designed to ensure stability and efficiency in deep waters exceeding 328 feet (100 meters). That same resilience is expected to be scaled up for the new design, which could withstand typhoon conditions while producing power for tens of thousands of households. Mingyang Smart Energy’s offshore expansion isn’t just limited to Asia. The firm recently announced a USD 1.8 billion investment in a new manufacturing facility in Scotland to serve the UK and European floating wind markets. The groundbreaking project, which is expected to create jobs for former oil and gas workers, shows how China’s wind energy giants are increasingly competing globally. The country remains a leading force in the global offshore wind industry. Its record-setting wind and solar installations have already placed it six years ahead of its 2030 renewable energy targets.
